Love is Patient
by writinglover23
Summary: What is Elizabeth feeling after receiving the news of Jack's death? What happens when she finds out he actually might be alive? My first fanfic, so please be kind.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first attempt at a fanfic. Kind and upbuilding reviews would be appreciated! None of these characters belong to me. They are owned by Janette Oke, and the writers/producers at Hallmark. After watching the season 5 finale, I decided that I'm going to ignore it and have Jack live. This takes place right after season 5 episode 9.

Chapter 1

Elizabeth's POV

"I'm sorry." At that moment, two words never hurt so much. It felt like a knife had stabbed me and was twisting inside. I don't ever remember dropping down to my knees, but I vaguely remember Abigail rubbing my back, trying to soothe me and telling me it was okay. But it would never be okay ever again because Jack was dead. The love of my life and the man that I was supposed to grow old with. The one who took away all my pain and gave me true happiness. He wasn't supposed to die. He was supposed to be coming back soon so we could spend our lives together as husband and wife. He was supposed to build me that house so we could start our own Thornton clan. He promised me that he was going to be okay. I don't remember screaming either, but the next thing I knew, the whole town was streaming out of the saloon. Bill reached my side, and with one look at me and then at the Mountie, he knew what had happened. Everything else passed in a blur. Eventually Bill lifted me off the ground and carried me towards the café. The action reminded me of when Jack rescued me from the mine, and with all the strength I had left in me, called out, "Jack." Then the whole world turned black.

I woke up to sunlight streaming into the room. Everything seemed normal until the events of last night came rushing back. I cried out in anguish. Jack would never be coming home again. Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Abigail came into the room. She sat down next to me on the bed, and just held me. Neither of us saying a word, because we didn't need to. The action reminded me of when I ran into Jack's embrace after he rescued me from Mr. Spurlock. This memory brought on a new onslaught of emotions ending with me sobbing on Abigail's shoulder. Soon after she left, I cried myself to sleep and dreamt of Jack.

Abigail's POV

2 Days Later

I walked down the street headed toward the mercantile. This was the first time I've left the cafe since the news came. I've been tending to Elizabeth and trying to get her to eat, but sorrow has nearly overwhelmed her. My heart ached for Elizabeth, and for Jack, and I barely held back my tears. The whole town was grieving the loss of their beloved Mountie, so black was being worn. When I nearly got to the mercantile, Bill hurried out of the jail and headed my way. These last few days were really tough on Bill. When Jack died, a little bit of everyone died as well. Bill took it especially hard, with Jack being like a son to him. When he ran up to me, he had a strange expression on his face. It took me a while to place it, but then I finally realized what it was. Hope. The very thing this town was built on and what got me through Noah and Peter's death. Through the apparent sadness on his face, I could see a glimmer of hope break through. He handed me a telegram and remained quiet while I skimmed through. The words blew me away.

I would like you to travel out and ID a patient that was admitted yesterday. He was one of the Mounties that survived the landslide. The only reason I'm sending you this telegram is that I am 100 percent sure that this man is indeed, Jack Thornton.

I looked up from reading to Bill's face not daring to breathe. A million thoughts and questions were running through my head but only one question came out of my mouth. 'Is it true?'

And with a little smile came the words that I will never forget. 'Jack might be alive.'

Dun, Dun Dun... Thank you so much for reading! Reviews would be appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all so much for your reviews! They really made my day I hope you like the next chapter in my story. Again, no characters belong to me, but to the lovely Janette Oke and the writers/producers at Hallmark.

Bill's POV

"Let's stop and give the horses a break" I called over my shoulder to Elizabeth and Abigail. We were stopping by a stream to let the horses drink, but after they were done, we would be heading out again. I had wanted to give Elizabeth a break, but she adamantly refused, wanting instead to ride all night until we got to the hospital in the morning. I had never wanted to tell her in the first place, scared of giving her false hope if this man didn't turn out to be Jack, but she had overheard us talking this morning and wanted to come along and ID him herself. I remembered the telegram in my pocket, pulling it out and reading it over again, just like I had done so, dozens of times today. In my heart, I knew this man lying in a hospital bed, clinging on to life was Jack. I don't know why, but as soon as I gotten over the shock of the news, I had sent a telegram to all the hospitals that the injured Mounties were staying in, asking the nurses to double check the men.

After the landslide, everything had been absolute chaos, with the recruits trying to dig out the injured. Their main focus had been getting the injured men to the hospitals with the intent to dig out the bodies of the men they were sure had been killed instantly, at a later time. Nobody had bothered to see if anyone else had lived. 3 days ago, when more squads had arrived, they dug out nearly all the bodies so the families could give them a proper burial. They couldn't find Jack's body however, assuming that he was buried far too deep under the rocks to have lived, and instructed the Mountie to break the news to Elizabeth. When I sent off the telegram describing some of his identifying features, I received no messages back. I thought for sure he was dead, until a doctor in Graceville telegrammed me back.

A loud thump broke my chain of thought and I looked over at Elizabeth who had dropped one of the saddle bags. Knowing that it was time to go, I got up from a log that I had been sitting on and started walking towards the horses. Before I mounted, I said a small prayer for our safety, but mostly for the man in the Graceville hospital who I knew in my heart to be Jack Thornton.

Elizabeth's POV

In the distance, the sun started to rise above the mountain peaks, with it's gorgeous hues of pink and red filling in the sky. We had been riding all night, and a few times I had been tempted to ask for a break. I was absolutely exhausted, but I knew I couldn't rest until I was absolutely sure that Jack was okay. Until he was back at home with me in Hope Valley. Bill got to the ridge first that overlooked the small village, quickly followed by me, with Abigail bringing up the rear. It only took me a second to locate the small building that acted as the hospital. I quickly glanced to the faces of Abigail and Bill, with determination and hope shining. I quickly glanced up to the sky, asking God to be with us, whatever happened. We quickly made our way down the ridge, onto the main road going through town and stopped before the small white building. We tied the horses and then climbed the steps before getting to the door.

With a small pause, I opened the doors, and the smell of sickness and antiseptic hit me. I almost gagged at the smell, but held back, instead scanning the 12 beds with small barriers set up for privacy. Walking down the floor, I gasped at the injuries of these men. Most had bandages tightly wrapped around their entire bodies with only faces showing. Speeding up, heading towards the back of the building, I kept on searching for Jack's face. Just when I had almost given up and was about to head back and search again, a man in a white coat stepped out of a small side room. As soon as he saw us, he motioned for us to follow him, and we quickly followed him into the room. The room was barely big enough to fit all 4 of us, and a bed, so as soon as I got free of the rest, I looked down at the face of an unconscious man, with dark brown hair with a cowlick, dark lashes, and a barely visible dimple greeting me, hid behind the major bruising on his cheeks and forehead. But I knew without a doubt who it was. "Jack" I barely croaked out. Happiness and emotion started to rise within me, so I dropped down on my knees and began to sob, this time for a much different reason.

Yay! Jack's alive! Thanks again so much for the reviews! Please keep them coming! I originally just wanted this story to be a 2-shot, but I'm thinking of making it into a series. What do you think?


	3. Chapter 3

Lucky you! 2 chapters in 1 day Thanks again so much for the reviews! They mean a lot to me! Here's chapter 3 for you! None of the characters belong to me, I'm borrowing them from Janette Oke and Hallmark.

Disclaimer: I don't know anything about medical stuff or biology or anything. I am very sorry if I make any mistakes in the medical scenes.

Elizabeth's POV

My sight was blurred by the tears in my eyes that were also streaming down my cheeks. I must look a fright, but at that moment, I didn't care. My hand squeezed Jack's hand once more, and I leaned over to place my head over his chest. I could hear the faint beat of his heart, and I felt immediately encouraged. I sent another prayer up to heaven, thanking God for sparing Jack and a request for him to recover quickly. All I could think about was that Jack was alive. My best friend, the love of my life, and my husband was alive. 'One day he'll be the father of our children.' At that random, but not unwelcome thought, a small smile crept onto my face, the first genuine one since this whole nightmare started. With the sound of the door being opened behind me, I got up off the chair that someone had placed there over the last few hours, and turned to smile at Abigail. She smiled back, held up a small basket, no doubt with some food in it and shut the door behind her.

Before coming to stand beside me, she announced, "I just talked to Dr. McKenna. He'll come by later after he picks up some more medical supplies and tell you the full report, but he wanted me to tell you that Jack is healing well and is doing much better since he was admitted. He's not quite out of the woods yet, but as soon as he comes to, we should start seeing major improvements."

I was very relieved at the news, but was still concerned for Jack. There was another knock at the door, and Dr. McKenna entered. He was a kind looking man in his late 40's with brown hair and spectacles. He looked first at Abigail and then at me, realizing that his message had been delivered already.

He turned to face me and started to speak," I'm sorry I haven't gotten to speak with you yet, Mrs. Thornton, but I think you deserved to spend some time with your husband."

"Thank you. For everything, doctor. You saved Jack's life."

"I was just doing my job. One he first came in, I wasn't sure I could do anything to help him. He truly was on death's door when a villager brought him in. This young man pulled through on his own strength and will." He said.

"Maybe not entirely on his own strength and will" Abigail cut in.

"Of course" Dr. McKenna responded with a kind smile.

"What kind of injuries does Jack have?" I asked, finally voicing my fears, almost afraid to know the answer.

Dr. McKenna paused for a second before answering, adding to my currently increasing worries. " He has 2 cracked ribs, a broken left ankle, fractured wrist and a concussion, along with some serious bruising. We put a cast on the wrist and ankle and gave him pain medication for the ribs. The good news is that with time, they should heal almost perfectly."

"What's the bad news?" I asked, hearing a slight quiver in my voice.

"The bad news is that I'm not sure why he's not waking up. We lessened the medication a bit, so he should be conscious by now."

"When do you think he'll wake up?" Abigail asked, placing a hand on my shoulder, in an act that was supposed to be comforting.

" Jack will wake up when he's ready to" was his answer.

"In the meantime, we'll be praying for him." Abigail said. "Won't we Elizabeth?"

I think I must have nodded in agreement, because the doctor left the room after he said that his nurse would come by later to check on Jack and give him his medication. I had barely any control over my emotions and I felt myself start to slip back into the hole of grief I had fallen into when I had heard the news that Jack had died. I quickly turned to Abigail and asked, "I don't want to be rude or anything, but could you give me some time alone with Jack?"

"Of course. I'll be close by if you need some comfort or if you want to talk. We're staying at an inn across the street. In the meantime, I'll go try to find Bill. He said that he was going to take a walk and then send a telegram back to Hope Valley, saying that we'll be staying here for a few days." She stepped forward and gave me a hug, which I quickly returned. I wanted to stay in her warm embrace and forgot everything that was going on, but I finally let go. She turned to grab her basket, and walked to the door, giving me one last reassuring smile before she quietly shut the door behind her. I stood standing for a few minutes after she left, almost regretting asking her to leave. Over the last few days, Abigail has been my rock, always there to help me. She truly was the best friend I have ever had. I walked back to the bed, and sat on the edge, looking down at Jack. He looked so peaceful, as if he was sleeping and dreaming a sweet dream. This all felt so familiar, like when he had pneumonia and I stayed at his side for hours, praying that God would let him wake up. The only difference between then and now was that this time, I was not just a schoolteacher that cared a great deal about him, but a wife who loved him more than words could express and would stay with him every single moment I could, earnestly praying for him to wake up.

The room was so silent I could hear his faint breathing. In and out. In and out. In and out. This small action calmed me down greatly, so I started to speak, quietly voicing the thoughts that had been bottled up inside my head for the last couple of days. "When I first saw that you were alive, I felt so relieved and happy. I thought that I was walking in some sort of a trance or dream, afraid to wake up and see that it wasn't true." I lifted my hand to his cheek, cupping it, and feeling the roughness of the bandage covering a gash with my thumb. I held it there for a moment, pulled back and continued on. "When you wake up and come home, the whole town will be so happy. They have all missed you so much, especially the children." I smiled a little bit when I imagined the shocked faces of the children I had come to love once they heard the news. "When everyone thought you had died, all the happiness in Hope Valley died as well. You have become such a big part of their lives, Jack. You're not just the town Mountie. You've become a great friend, companion and protector to everyone." At this point, my voice was breaking, and tears were flowing freely down my cheeks. Without ever noticing, the sky outside had become dark, and the stars were beginning to shine. I gently laid down beside Jack on the bed, exhaustion nearly overwhelming me. "When you've fully recovered, you can start building our house. We'll start our own Thornton clan and fill up the bedrooms. We can grow old together, and spend the rest of our days right beside each other. We can get through any problem that comes our way, remember? 'Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud." My hand wandered to the ring on his left hand, looking at the inscription. At this point, my voice was barely above a whisper. My head rested on his shoulder, where it belonged. I could feel sleep tug on me, and beckon me away from reality. I tried to resist, but soon fell into slumber. 'This is where I belong' was my last thought, before the world turned black, and I could remember no more.

Jack's POV

I could hear a woman's voice speaking, and a warmth beside me. I was in pain, but her presence soothed it somewhat. I wanted her to keep talking for her voice was sweet and melodious, like that of an angel. I was trying to place it, when I finally remembered. It was Elizabeth. My beautiful Elizabeth had found me.

Elizabeth's POV

I awoke from a dream I had been having of our future, and glanced around the room, wondering what had woken me up. For the last few days, I had been woken up by awful nightmares, but this time was the first time I had had a restful sleep. The room was still dark with only a small sliver of moonlight breaking through and I was about to fall back asleep, when I felt movement. I sat up, and looked down at Jack's face. It was illuminated by the light and I could see his face twitch slightly, and his eyebrows bunch up, as if he was having a bad dream. I was shocked by this, and I rubbed my eyes, fearing that I was just having another dream. I quietly whispered, "Jack, it's me Elizabeth. Everything's okay." He had no reaction to my words, so I was about to lie back down, when I heard a small groan. My hopes soared to new heights, and I spoke again," Jack, wake up. Open your eyes." His head slightly moved, his eyelashes fluttered, and he opened his eyes. With a groan and a weak voice, he said, "I love you Elizabeth."

Thanks so much for reading! I'm super tired now. Sorry for any grammar mistakes. Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you again for reading my story and giving me feedback. No characters belong to me… at the moment;)**

Elizabeth's POV

"I love you Elizabeth." 4 words never meant so much to me. How dearly I missed them and how close I had been to never hearing them again. With a breathless voice, I said, "Oh Jack!" I leaned forward, and without thinking, brought my lips to his. He reached his uninjured arm to my hair, and held on to it, kissing me back with just as much love and passion. We finally broke apart when I heard his small groan of pain. I quickly pulled back, and asked, " Are you okay? Do you need me to get the doctor?"

"I'm fine Elizabeth. I'm just so glad you're here." he replied with a slight smile, flashing his dimples.

I wanted to be selfish and talk to him all night, losing myself in his voice, but I knew that I had to let him rest. He was still recovering, and must be in a lot of pain.

"I have to get Abigail and Bill. They'll be so happy to know that you're awake!" I remembered, feeling foolish for a second that I didn't fetch them the second that Jack had waken up.

"Maybe just get Abigail, and wait until the morning to tell Bill. After all, I'm not going anywhere." Jack said.

"Why not Bill? He was the one who didn't believe that you were dead. He sent out telegrams to all the hospitals where the injured Mounties were being treated, asking all the doctors and nurses to ID the men." I replied, wondering what he was getting at.

"Because he sleeps like a log." Jack said, with a teasing tone in his voice. "You can't wake him up, until he wants to be waken up. And if you do manage to, know that you won't be alive for very long," he ended with a goofy smile on his face.

I smiled at his antics, and felt a surge of happiness. The Jack that I knew and loved was still there, buried under all the bruises, gashes and bandages.

"I'll be right back, I'll go get Abigail and Dr. McKenna. Try to stay awake until we're back, okay?" Although I was joking, my words held a tone of seriousness in them. I was still scared that I was in some kind of dream, afraid that if I he was out of my sight for a moment, the dream would end, and I would be back to the nightmare of reality.

With a smile, and a clumsy salute, Jack replied, "Yes ma'am!," probably sensing some of my worriedness.

At that, I jumped off the bed, and headed towards the door, wondering for a second how I would ever figure out what room Abigail was staying in. The solution to this problem came in the form of a note that was tacked onto the door.

'I'm staying in room 21 at the Grace Inn. Bill's staying in room 23. Please come and get either of us if you need anything or if there's any change in Jack's condition. -Abigail. '

I felt a small smile creep onto my face. Abigail knew me so well. I slid out of the door, and into the main room, while looking quickly back at Jack. He was sitting upright a little bit, still awake, but looking absolutely exhausted. I closed the door quietly behind, and made my way down the corridor, careful not to disturb any of the men. I opened the back door, and breathed in the cool night air. Before stepping off the stairs, I quickly said a prayer, thanking God for all that he had done.

Abigail's POV

I sat awake in my bed, when there was a knock on my door. I quickly went to answer it, bracing myself for the worst. Elizabeth quickly stepped in, and without saying a word, gave me a hug. Although surprised, I responded to it quickly. I stepped back first, worried by what I might see, but was relieved when Elizabeth's face showed nothing but delight and happiness.

"Abigail! He's awake!," Elizabeth blurted out. Smiling from ear to ear at the statement.

"Then what are we doing, just standing here? Let's go!" I responded.

We quickly left the building and stopped at Dr. McKenna's little house beside the hospital, and told him the news. He looked as shocked as we felt, and that was saying a lot. Once we were back in Jack's room, and looking down at his tired face, I finally felt happy, for the first time in days, since this whole fiasco started. Dr. McKenna was checking Jack's vitals, clearly looking surprised and shocked at this new development. I quickly glanced over to Elizabeth and saw the happiness and relief. These last couple of days have taken a real toll on her. Now that she knew that Jack was alive, there was an air of happiness that surrounded her. As if she knew I was staring, she glanced over to me and took my hand, squeezing it, and looking back to Jack with a look of love on her face. Their relationship was special, one of a kind, and one that was supposed to last forever. I thought back to the words I had spoken at their wedding. They were words of teasing and joy, meant to make the newlyweds laugh, but I realized that I had meant them wholeheartedly. There weren't two people on God's good earth meant more for each other than Elizabeth and Jack, and that whatever challenges lay ahead for them in the future, they would take on together.

Elizabeth's POV

Rays of sunlight flitted through the window, and the birds of the air sang their songs, waking up all creation. I blinked to get used to the brightness of the room, and slowly sat up. After Dr. McKenna had went home after the events of last night, and Abigail had went back to the inn, I had once again fallen asleep on Jack's shoulder. I lifted my hand to cup Jack's sleeping face. A small smile spread on his face, and he opened his eyes to meet mine. I vowed then and there that I would never get used to this. To the feeling of pure joy of gazing into the eyes of the one you loved. Even if we lived to be a hundred years old, I would still look into his eyes and never be bored of what I saw.

"Good morning Jack. I hope you had a good sleep," I said, leaning down to kiss him.

"Good morning Elizabeth. I had a lovely sleep with you by my side" he said, after kissing me back.

I blushed at his words, and leaned back, so he could slowly sit up. Dr. McKenna was astounded by the progress that Jack was making since receiving the injuries in the landslide. I still didn't know exactly what happened, that fateful day on the mountain, but I trusted that Jack would tell me once he was ready. He needed time to heal, both physically and mentally.

"Dr. McKenna told me after you had fallen asleep last night, that he saw no reason for you not to be released in a few days. Of course you'll be over the watchful eye of Faith and Carson. " I said, scarcely believing the impact of the words. We would be going home. After this, we would finally be together. For good. No more training missions or fighting. Just the 2 of us, taking on the events of life, one day at a time.

There was a knock at the door, and Jack called out, "the door's open, come in." Bill slipped into the room with a mixed look of amazement and wonder and joy wrapped all in one.

"Don't ever scare me again like that, Jack. I don't think any of us could take it," were the first words out his mouth. He walked to the bed in two steps, and laid his hand on Jack's shoulder, squeezing it.

"I promise Bill. I promise," Jack responded.

I could sense that they needed some time alone, so I left, with the promise that I would bring back some food, after helping Abigail pack up the few belongings that she had packed on the trip. She was heading back today to take over the café from Clara and Rosemary, and returning as mayor after handing over the reigns to Henry for the time being. Of course, I knew that she missed Cody most of all, and she would be thrilled to tell him, and all of Hope Valley of the news that their beloved Mountie would be coming home in a few days, alive and well. Jack, Bill, and I would be heading home in three days and I greatly looked forward to coming home to our little house, and falling back into schedule, with me going back to teach the children every day, and Jack doing his rounds. I missed the children greatly, but I knew that they were in good hands with Rosemary. She had become a good friend over the past few years, and even though she and I disagreed at times, I knew that she would be always be there for me.

I stopped in the middle of the street, and thanked God for the friends that I had. Abigail, Bill, Rosemary, Lee, Clara, Cat, Faith, Carson, Florence, and even Henry. When I first arrived in Coal Valley, I thought that I would have to rely on my own strength, and I never would have thought that I would have friends to support me through life's journey. God certainly worked in unexpected ways, didn't He?

 **Thank you all for the support that I have been getting. I know this chapter was a bit slow, and I certainly apologize for that fact. The next chapter will focus on Jack, and we'll finally find out how he survived. Sorry for all the grammar mistakes.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks to the following people who have made my day a lot better with their kind words and support:**

 **BookLover1182, TrishNP, KcHeartsNewTales, Ybdavila, Fireballtrainer, EYRAMSEY, gmt85, Caitfloyd8, MacGateFan, and all the guest reviewers.**

 **Again, most of the characters don't belong to me, except Jonah Baker.**

 **Disclaimer: I tried to write Jack's flashback as realistically as I could. That being said, I hope it doesn't make any of you too upset. I promise that this is going to be a happy story, with a happy ending, because honestly, I can't take any more sadness. Hope you enjoy reading!**

Jack's POV

The sun filled the small room with light. Mornings for me always brought new hope, but this morning felt extra special. Today was the day that I would be released from the hospital, and the 3 of us would head home. I looked down at the figure lying beside me. Ever since she had found me, Elizabeth never left my side. Even when I tried to convince her that sleeping at the inn might have been more comfortable, she dug in her heels and stood firm, arms folded across her chest, and a glaring look focused on me. I knew that it was in my best interests to listen to her. I still couldn't believe that I was alive, and that Elizabeth was at my side. I felt so happy in this moment. I knew that one day I would have to tell her what happened, but not now. Not today. Instead, I reflected back…

Flashback

We were almost off the pathway when the rocks started to come down. The rumble and noise was unmistakable and I looked up in terror to see huge boulders tumble down the mountain towards the men in front of me, at an alarming rate. I stopped and stood for a fraction of a second, fear binding me to the ground, before I was able to move and think. I yelled for them to get out of the way, but they stood still, fear and terror gripping them. I had to do something. They needed to go home to their families alive. Most were young men, barely older than some of the students Elizabeth taught back at home. Others were married, with children and wives waiting for their return. In my heart, I knew that the only way that they could live was that I would die. The rocks were nearly on top of us, when I jumped, pushing as many men as I could out of the way. The next thing I knew, pain surrounded my entire body and I knew that I was dying. My last thought was a prayer. 'God, please take care of my Elizabeth for me.' At that, the world turned black, and I knew no more.

The light was blinding, but it was like I was being drawn to it, by some unknown force. I realized that I was going to heaven. Heaven's gates stood in the distance, with angels, standing on either side, becoming larger as I travelled closer. I would finally see my father again. I would finally see Doug and all the other brave Mounties that had lost their lives. Just before I reached the gates, the force that had been pushing me stopped. I stood for a moment, before memories flooded my mind, so clear and realistic that I felt like l was experiencing them all over again. Elizabeth standing on her desk at the saloon, with a shoe and hair clip in her hands. Elizabeth in my arms, swaying to the music with me. Elizabeth in the mine, with a scared look on her face, after she had come so close to dying. Elizabeth's beautiful face illuminated by the candlelight after she had accepted my proposal. Elizabeth in her wedding dress, standing at the altar with me. All these memories rushed past each other in my mind, clear and blurry at the same time, with the speed they were travelling, before they stopped, and more images filled my mind. The first one was a glimpse of a large house, with a barn in a background. The next one was of Elizabeth with a huge grin on her face, with tears of happiness streaming down her cheeks. I didn't have time to wonder what she could have been so happy about, before the last image answered my question. The last image was that of Elizabeth, clearly exhausted, holding a small bundle, looking down with love in her eyes. Without her even noticing, I stepped forward, and moved the blanket away slightly, so I could see what she was looking at. What I saw, was a face of a newborn baby with tufts of brown hair. Her shining blue eyes opened, and met mine, with a small smile spreading across her tiny face, and I realized what, or who I was seeing. This was my daughter. Realization hit me, and I figured out why those memories had flashed across my mind, and why these new images were greeting me. God was reminding me of my life back on Earth and what I had lost. He was also showing me glimpses of what could have been my future. I swallowed back a wave of sadness, that this would never come true, that I would never meet my daughter. The images disappeared, and I closed my eyes and prayed, "God, please don't take me yet."

I slowly opened my eyes, and darkness greeted me. I thought that I was back in heaven, until pain like I had never experienced before, came back full force. I tried to move, but dust and gravel rained down on me. 'God kept me alive, so I could go back home to Elizabeth,' was my first thought. I was lying on my stomach, with my left leg trapped under a large rock. I knew that I had to get out, or else I would suffocate in this tiny space. The situation seemed helpless, with the space being pitch black, and with no visible way of escape. I looked around once more, with my eyes finally somewhat adjusting to the dim lighting. I wanted to give up, but I knew that I couldn't. If God thought that I needed to live, I would do everything in my power to live up to His expectations. I closed my eyes and prayed. 'God, please help me.' Once I opened my eyes again, they focussed on a small rock. I reached out my arm and lifted it out of the way. A tiny beam of light filled the crawl space, and my hopes soared. I started moving more rocks out of the way, and the light started to fill the hole, more and more. Finally, I had cleared a space big enough to crawl through, and by some miracle, the rocks above me, held firm, so I wouldn't be crushed while crawling out. The last obstacle I faced, was the rock pinning my ankle. I tried to push it out of the way, but my weakened strength moved it no where. I cried out, "God, I'm nearly out. Please give me one last bout of strength." I pushed again, and the rock started to lift up, just enough so my foot could slide out, underneath. I ignored the pain shooting through my body, and crawled out of the hole before collapsing outside, onto the debris that cluttered the mountainside.

The night was cool and clammy, and I felt a shiver pass through my body. I slowly got to my knees before standing up. I knew that I needed to get down the mountain, and get help. My men that hadn't been killed must have been rescued already, for the mountain had wheel tracks, signs that they had been safely taken away. I spotted a stick nearby, and I picked it up, and started to lean on it, starting to hobble down the side of the mountain. In my mind, was a crude map of the area. Once I managed to get down the side of the mountain, there would be a valley with a road running through it. The road led to a small village, and I'm sure I could get some help there. With every step I took, pain shot through me. I knew I had to ignore it, or else it would overtake me and I would stop moving. I forced my brain to think of happy situations, and I started to plan out what I would do once I got the village. I would get my injuries tended to. I would telegram Elizabeth and assure her that I was alive, and where I was.

I had been moving for hours, and had finally gotten to the road. I was so tired, and I desperately wanted to stop and rest. The lights of a small village burned in the near distance. I was so close. I couldn't give up yet. But the pain was just too much for me. I barely felt the action, but the next thing I knew, my body met the ground, and the last thought I had before the world turned dark once more was,' I'm sorry for giving up, Elizabeth.'

Jonah's POV

I was heading out onto the road, to pick up some more supplies for dad. A new shipment had come in, and he wanted me to back with them before the shop opened at 8. I had only been travelling for a few minutes, lost in my own thoughts, when I saw a figure sprawled out on the ground. I slowed down Dolly, and leapt out of the wagon, wanting to investigate. Once I got close enough, I realized it was a Mountie and that he was injured. Running over, I flipped him over onto his back and looked to see if he was breathing. Relief flowed through me once I saw his chest move. I struggled to lift him up, but once I had a grip on him, carried him back to the wagon, and laid him on the seat, being careful to not injure him any more. I climbed in beside him and beckoned Dolly to move. I needed to get this man to Dr. McKenna as soon as I could.

Jack's POV

I could feel myself being carried, but I couldn't get my eyes to open. I could hear a man talking, reassuring me that help was on it's way. I could feel myself start to fade out of consciousness, but before I re-entered the land of the dark, I managed to croak out a word, 'Elizabeth.'

I opened my eyes and gasped for breath. Everything had felt so real, as if it had happened all over again. It took me a while to calm my racing heart and rapid breathing. Unfortunately, I knew that this wouldn't be the end of the flashbacks, not for a while yet, anyway. I would probably experience nightmares as well, just like I did after I got home from the Northern Territories. I looked down to the sleeping form of Elizabeth beside me. The sight of her peaceful face and slightly messed hair, brought me to a complete calm. I reminded myself not to focus on what had happened in the past, but instead to look forward to the future. Gazing down once more at her face, I decided that I wouldn't look forward to my future by myself, but instead, to our future, together.

 **Thank you again so much for reading and reviewing! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi Hearties! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I was reading over the last chapter and I just wanted to clarify a few things:**

 **Elizabeth isn't/hasn't discovered that she's pregnant yet -when Jack saw a baby, it COULD BE in his future. That image that he saw wasn't a definite pregnancy announcement. I'll include that storyline down the road, but I have to write a few more chapters first. (I promise that it will come though!)**

 **I just realized that if Jack was having a flashback, he wouldn't know what Jonah(his rescuer) was thinking. I just included that part in for your sakes, and to add to the story.**

 **When Jack was in heaven, he wasn't** **dead** **quite yet. He was unconscious after being knocked out, and after everything that happened, woke up.**

 **I'm very sorry for not making everything clear. I managed to write chapter 5 in about an hour, and it was super late when I published it. I hope you forgive me for that.**

 **None of these characters belong to me.**

 **Here's chapter 6 for you. Enjoy**!

Elizabeth's POV

I loaded the final bag into the stage coach, and shut the door, turning to face Jack. He had been acting strange all morning, but I wasn't going to let it ruin my day. I trusted him to tell me what was on his mind, when he felt ready to. Bill stood at his side, gripping his arm, and when I opened the door for them, he helped Jack into the coach. Jack was still weak and couldn't stand for more than a few minutes at a time. He also needed crutches to walk around, but Dr. McKenna assured us that with lots of bed rest and care, he would be mobile in a couple of weeks. We were grateful for all that he had done, and I would always remember his kindness. He reminded me in many ways of Carson, with their kind personalities, and willingness to put themselves before their patients.

We would have left earlier, but Jack had insisted on visiting all of his injured men in the hospital, reassuring them and thanking them. Most were going home soon, and the looks of determination and hope on their faces, gave me hope as well. Last night, Bill sent a telegram back home to inform everyone that we were coming home. He was riding the horses back, and would beat us to town, but I didn't care as long as Jack was comfortable, and we got home in 1 piece. I shut the door once we were both in the stage, and turned back to face the crowd of villagers cheering and yelling, with smiles on their faces. News spread fast in this little town, and everyone seemed to know that the injured Mountie, so close to deaths door, was going home. Even some of the injured recruits had managed to leave their beds and were waving and cheering us. Our driver beckoned the horses forward, and I felt the coach start to lurch ahead. Soon we were out of the town, and headed onto the main road that would take us back to Hope Valley. I looked over to Jack, and took his hand. He squeezed mine, and I knew that one chapter in our lives was ending, but another one was just beginning.

I woke up with a jar, when our driver had announced that we were almost home. I looked over to Jack, and there was clear excitement on his face. We had stopped at an inn overnight, and had been travelling for hours. I stuck my head out of the window, and Jack did the same thing on his side. The depot came into view, and I could see the entire town's population waving and cheering. I could see all of my students, with massive grins, waving signs that said various messages. Abigail and Bill also stood there, not waving or cheering, but looking absolutely elated, nonetheless. When we slowed down enough, Rosemary and Lee opened our doors and helped us out. I gripped Rosemary in a tight hug, and she returned it. "I hope the children haven't been too much of a hassle for you," I said.

"Nonsense, they were perfect little angels," she responded, with a little bit of a falter to her statement and a grimace to her face.

I barely kept a smirk back, and asked," Really?" making sure to draw out the word.

"But when are you coming back to teach them?" she asked quickly. "Not that they're any trouble or anything…"

I couldn't help but laugh at this, and responded with," I'll be back in the classroom tomorrow morning."

She looked very surprised at my answer, and asked, "So soon? You've just had a terrible shock. All of us have."

I was touched by the sincerity in her statement, and said, "Now that I know that Jack is alive and well, our lives have to carry on. This incident will always be a part of us, but we have to take the steps, to heal and move away from it. " And I meant every word I said. All of us had to move on at some point. Not to focus on the past, but look to the future. I was just so glad that Jack was with me, to have someone to look to the future with.

"How poetic Elizabeth! Your words reminded me of a role I played once. She…"

A shriek of delight cut her off, and Opal ran over to me, giving me a big hug. "Brownie and me missed you!" She exclaimed with a toothy smile. I was so happy that I didn't even bother to correct her grammar.

"I'm very glad to see you and Brownie as well, but you and the others should head back to the schoolhouse. I hope you all have been listening to Mrs. Coulter, while I was gone," kneeling down, to look her in the face.

"I've been listening, but Robert set a skunk loose, and it sprayed, and it was stinky," she finished, her face grimacing in disgust. I looked back at Rosemary, and realized just how desperate she truly was for me to get back to the students.

"Come along now children. I haven't finished my story yet of when I played Lady Capulet, in Romeo and Juliet!" she called out, beckoning the students to follow her.

I could hear several groans from the children, most notably from Robert, Cody and Harper. Honestly, if I had been in their shoes, I would have done the same thing as well.

The crowd of people around Jack started to grow bigger and bigger, with more and more people asking him questions. He started to look a bit uncomfortable, but, before I could do anything, Henry Gowen started to shout. "Okay everyone, Elizabeth and Jack must be very tired. Let's let them go home and rest first. I'm sure they'll be up to visitors later." With his command, and a few groans, the crowd started to depart, slowly but surely. I was quite speechless at his kind action at first, but then I reminded myself that he was working to be a reformed man. Henry deserved to be given a second chance.

Once, the crowd was almost gone, I strode over to where Jack was standing and helped him over to the bench nearby. He looked tired from just those few minutes, and I was happy to give him a bit of a rest before we headed home. Once we were seated, he gave me a small smile, and said, "This might be the first time where I'm glad for the silence."

"Everyone's just so relieved and happy that you're home."

"Does everyone include a certain beautiful schoolteacher?"

I blushed at his question, and responded with, "She's the most relieved and happy of all." He leaned forward for a kiss, and I did the same thing, when a voice cleared behind us. We quickly turned, and Abigail stood there, with a knowing look on her face.

"Let's get the two of you home, and then you can continue with whatever you were doing. "

We both looked at each other and blushed, before Bill came over to help Jack up. He supported Jack's one arm, and I supported his other arm. The four of us managed to get home slowly, but surely, with Abigail carrying Jack's cane. Abigail and Bill left when we got to the door, and I let ourselves in. I helped Jack across the threshold, and managed to seat him on the couch. Looking around the living room and kitchen, I realized that this had been the first time since I had been home, since the news had come. The few belongings that I had brought to Graceville, along with the items that I had brought when I stayed with Abigail, sat in the living room. A basket of food sat on the table, no doubt filled with some delicious concoction that Abigail had put together. I reached inside the basket, and pulled out a little note that read,

'Here's some food for the next couple of days since neither of you are probably in the mood to cook. The widows also baked a pie for you, and Cody made a drawing to make you feel better. -Abigail'

I smiled at the thoughtfulness of our friends, and pulled out a small drawing of a man in a red serge, and a lady with auburn hair and blue eyes, holding hands. My students stood beside us, with smiles on their faces with even the sun smiling down at us from the corner of the page. I don't know why, but emotion started to rise within me, and tears started to drip down my face. The next thing I knew, Jack was beside me, and pulling me close.

"Jack, you should be resting, not fussing over me," I tried to argue.

"But I want to fuss over you Elizabeth. That's my job, as a husband. On our wedding day, I promised to always take care of you, and I intend to keep that promise," he assured me, his hand rubbing circles on my back.

"I'm fine. I just got really emotional for a second. We should start eating, before the food gets cold," I said, in an attempt to change the subject, sounding much harsher than I had intended.

"Elizabeth, are you sure you're okay? You know you can talk to me about anything you know. I'll always be there for you."

The next words I said shot out so fast, I couldn't have stopped them if I had wanted to. "But you weren't there for me, Jack! Sure, I had Abigail's support, but I had to face everything alone. I was even angry with God for taking you away from me." My words started to become softer, but in the silence of the room, they had the same impact as shots being fired. "At my lowest point, I didn't even care if I died." The words barely came out, for now I was sobbing, my chest heaving. Jack was the only thing keeping me from dropping to the ground. He just held me, while I sobbed into his shoulder. The simple act must have calmed me down, for the next thing I knew, I was pulling back, and wiping my nose, and looking up into Jack's eyes.

"Elizabeth, I am so sorry that you had to go through this experience. I was planning to telegram you as soon as I got to Graceville, but I think I must have passed out before I got a chance to. I'll tell you everything that happened to me later, but first I want you to know that not even death can separate us. I'll always love you, and I'll always be looking out for you, even if I'm not physically beside you." He took his uninjured arm and lifted it to cup my face, just like I did to him, days ago in the hospital. But this time, he took his thumb and wiped away my tears, continuing with his words. "I'll always try my best to get back to you, but if one day I'm not able to, know that God had a greater plan for me, greater than what we expect."

I nodded at his words, and pulled back, slightly embarassed at my actions. Jack smiled at me, and said," Now that both of us feel a bit better, let's dig into that food that Abigail sent over. I'm ready for a real meal after a week of hospital food." I couldn't help but laugh at his statement, and helped him serve up Abigail's shepherd pie onto some plates. I would enjoy the delicious meal, and the time spent with my husband. Later, I knew that we had to figure out the issues that were keeping us apart, but I knew, deep down in my heart, that once we figured it out, life would go back to normal.

 **Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! This chapter focussed a lot on what Elizabeth was feeling, and how our favorite couple is dealing with some unresolved issues. I apologize, if this chapter was a bit dark, but as the saying goes, there's always light at the end of the tunnel.**


	7. Chapter 7

Hi **everyone! Sorry this chapter is late. I've been SUPER busy this week, and haven't had much time to write. I tweaked a few scenes from the finale (yes I know, THAT dreaded episode) because I actually think that they were very well done. I'm just really glad that this story isn't going to be so depressing. I really love reading the reviews you guys have written, and they are honestly the best part of my day. Special shout out to Sarah, who has left the kindest messages ever!(insert virtual hug) Here's chapter 7 for you.**

 **No characters belong to me at this moment…**

Elizabeth's POV

I stood in the kitchen, packing my food for the day and going over the lesson plan in my head. The action brought back a sense of familiarity, and I smiled, glad that some things would never change. I wanted to get to the school early, to survey the possible damage that may have been inflicted while I had been gone, and to greet my students as they came through the door. The smiles on their faces always gave me joy, and I was reminded of one of the many reasons I had decided to become a teacher. My job wasn't just to teach them from books and test them at the end of the year, but to make a difference in these children's' lives, in one way or another. I turned away from the counter, after finishing making a sandwich, and was immediately bathed in light, as the rays of the sunrise shone into the room filling the room with a pink hue. I almost forgot how much I loved the sunrise, and I just stood there for a moment, with my eyes closed, silently thanking God for a beautiful way to start the day. I even started to hum, without really thinking about the tune. I was so lost in thought, however, that I never heard Jack come down the stairs, until he was almost behind me. I heard him clear his throat, and I spun around, gasping for breath, with my heart racing a million miles a second.

"Jack, you scared me," I finally said, with my voice sounding shaky, turning round to face him. I looked up into his eyes, and my heart started racing again, this time for a much different reason. Sometimes I couldn't even believe how handsome he was.

He almost looked sorry, but I could see that tiny little smirk from a mile away. I smirked back, and he leaned down to kiss me. When our lips touched, it was like time stopped, and everything around me fell away, until it was just me and Jack, basking in the sunlight. As if born with a mind of their own, my arms reached to the back of his head, and lightly gripped his soft hair, bringing him closer to me, if that was even possible. After I had finally pulled away, breathing slightly heavier and looking flushed, I looked up into his eyes, and all I could see was love. Slightly blushing, I looked away embarrassed, until Jack lifted up his hand, and reached out to me, cupping his cheek with his uninjured hand. He lightly pressed into my cheek, so I would again face him.

"Good morning Elizabeth. I apologize if I startled you, but I must say, this was a wonderful way to start the day" he breathed out.

"Good morning Jack. I hope you had a good rest. You startled me a little bit, but I wasn't paying attention at all. I was just thanking God for blessing us so greatly these last couple of days."

"Are you still mad at God, Elizabeth?," his smile faltering slightly, as he struggled to get the words out.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't slightly upset still, but I'm trying to come to an understanding with God. Every single night before I go to sleep, since the day I learned that you were alive, I just sit there in the darkness, thanking God for all my blessings."

A small smile started to form on his face, and he replied," Good. Please don't be mad at God, Elizabeth. He has done more for us, and especially me, than I can comprehend. He doesn't deserve any anger you may have." His words had a cryptic undertone to them, and I was very tempted to ask him to explain further, when I glanced over to the clock.

"Jack, I have to get going," I exclaimed, as I reached to grab my lunch pail and books.

"Here, Elizabeth, let me help you," Jack offered, as he reached for my pail.

"Jack, I'm fine. You should be resting. You're still recovering," I said, slightly exasperated.

"Elizabeth, I'm not an imbecile. Let me help you," his voice not sounding as soft.

I sighed, and looked up into his face. "How about you walk me to the school, and head right back?" I asked, not wanting to start a fight.

He sighed right back, but finally gave into my plan. The walk to the schoolhouse was silent, with neither of us willing to speak to each other just yet. Jack kept up pace pretty good with his crutches, but I didn't even care if he fell back behind me. When we got to the door, and I opened it, I was surprised to see my students, all crowded in my room, with all our friends here, also. Abigail, Rosemary, Lee, Bill, and even Henry were all here.

"Elizabeth, we have something to give to you and Jack," Rosemary said.

I think that we both suspected that something special was about to happen, so we moved into the room.

Rosemary started speaking again," The students wanted to do something to show their appreciation for all that you've done for this community. Cody suggested this gift, and they all worked hard on it, under the supervision of Henry."

I looked to Henry, and nodded my head, hoping to convey at least some of my appreciation. He only nodded back, and looked away, slightly embarrassed.

Looking back at the children, I saw them hand to the front, a wooden sign. On it were the words, 'The Thornton School.' I immediately felt a surge of happiness and looked over to Jack, to see what he was feeling. He just stood there, with his mouth hanging open, but suddenly his mouth curled into a smile, and spread hanging across his face, leaving a massive grin in its wake.

"Thank you so much everyone. We're both eternally grateful for having all of you in our lives as well," Jack said, as his hand went to my shoulder, lightly squeezing it, bringing me out of my momentary stupor.

"As mayor of Hope Valley, I name this school, The Thornton School," Abigail said as she took the sign from her son's hands, and hung the sign on a nearby nail. After she hung it, she turned back to us, ad said," Who better to name this school after, then the ones who built this building up with hard work, determination, love, and most importantly, hope."

In the middle of Abigail's speech, Jack had taken my hand, and was squeezing it. I squeezed it back, and looking into the faces of the people that I had grown to love so much. The last thought I had before my students all rushed forward to give me hugs, was that whatever God had planned for us next, as a town and for me and Jack as a couple, we would get through it.

 **Thanks for reading! I know this chapter was a bit shorter than usual, but again, I've been extremely busy. For inspiration, I was watching fan made videos of Elizabeth and Jack, and I honestly ended up bawling my eyes out. Thanks again so much!**


	8. Chapter 8

Thank you all for your continued support. It means a lot to me! Again, none of these characters belong to me. I am so extremely sorry for the lack of updates. All I can say is that life is busy and I appreciate your support!

Elizabeth's POV

"If 4x=12, what is the value of x?" I waited a few seconds, and looked across the faces of my students, seeing either boredom or confusion. Nobody raised their hands, and there wasn't even chatter going around the room. I sighed out my frustration. During my leave, Rosemary barely taught them a thing, and according to my schedule, we were 3 weeks behind in arithmetic. These last couple of weeks, I had been feverishly trying to catch up. I picked up the piece of chalk again, and wrote the answer, x=3. I turned back around and was going to ask of anyone knew why 3 was the answer.

Opal raised her hand, and asked,"Mrs. Thornton, what are we going to do for Mountie Jack's birthday?" Immediately the chatter picked up, and I could hear similar questions starting to arise.

"I don't know, Opal. It might be a bit early to start thinking about that. After all, it's 2 weeks away."

"Are we going to throw him a birthday party, like with Dr. Carson?" Emily asked, with all the students now listening intently.

"Are we all invited?" Robert asked, and everyone started to ask the same thing.

I started to smile, seeing the clear enthusiasm on everyone's faces. It meant so much to both me and Jack, that the children of Hope Valley cared so much about us. I finally gave in.

"How about we leave our algebra lesson till tomorrow, and start planning. You can all pitch in ideas, and I'll wrote them on the board."

As soon as the suggestion left my mouth, a cheer erupted from the children, and their enthusiasm must have been wearing off on me, because I started to giggle.

The day seemed to go by in a flash, because the next thing I knew, it was time for everyone to go home. Once the building was completely empty, I looked back at the ideas written on the board. Of all the ideas, a surprise party had come through as the most popular. It would be very hard to pull off, but with enough help, it would be doable. Fortunately, it looked like we would have more than enough help. Abigail and the other women could help with the food, Bill or Lee could distract Jack for a few hours while we prepared, and the children could make the decorations. I had to double check with everyone, to make sure they were actually willing to help out, but I had a feeling that everyone would be more than willing. Ever since the incident, the townspeople have been more than helpful, and I would always be thankful for their generosity. I had just wiped down the board, when there was a knock on the door, and Jack stood there in uniform. He was still recovering, but was becoming stronger every day, and could move around without my help.

"I'm here to help you carry your books home, Ms. Thatcher," he said, a smile forming on his mouth.

"I appreciate your offer, constable. Whatever could I do to show my gratitude?" I asked, slowly catching onto his plans. I moved closer to him, and looked up into his face, placing my hand on his chest.

"I'm sure you can think of something, ma'am," Jack said, his voice lowered considerably. He kept on staring at my lips, and I reached up and brought my hand to the back of his head, connecting our lips together.

Once again, time stood still, and I knew that no other action could make me feel this way. I wanted to stand there and kiss my husband all day, but I had to go see Abigail and ask her about food preparation for the party.

"Jack, I have to go see Abigail quickly, but I'll be home soon"

"See her about what?" he asked.

"Um… nothing much, just women stuff," I responded, trying to sound casual, but failing miserably at it.

"Okay… I have to go see Carson for a quick check-up, but I'll be back for dinner." There was a clear look of curiosity on his face, but I couldn't tell him anything. In the past, Jack never made a big fuss over his birthday, but this year, I was determined to change that. Birthday's were a time to celebrate with family and friends, and we certainly had a lot to celebrate.

Abigail's POV

I heard the door open, and I moved toward the kitchen, carrying a blueberry pie, right from the oven. I glanced up, and was glad to see Elizabeth walk in with a smile on her face. During the 'incident' as we have all come to call it, it was truly painful to see Elizabeth stripped of all emotions. The news of Jack's supposed death had hit everyone hard, but with Elizabeth, it was like she gave up on living.

"Abigail, I wanted to ask you a favour," she called out, looking more excited every moment she kept her request in.

"What is it?" I asked, starting to become very curious as well.

"As you may know, Jack's birthday is coming up in 2 weeks, and I'm planning a surprise party! I was wondering if you could help me out with the food."

"I would love to Elizabeth. What are you planning?" I asked, already making a mental list of ingredients I meet need.

"I'm not quite sure yet, but I was thinking of some sort of picnic. Everyone's invited of course," at this point, the only thing that I could compare Elizabeth to, was Cody after eating some cake, for the excitement was almost rolling off of her in waves.

"Sounds wonderful. How about if I close up the café early today, and we can discuss the plans," I suggested, leading her over to one of the tables and sitting her down.

"Are you sure Abigail? I don't want you to lose customers because of me," she asked, looking worried, and I was touched by her thoughtfulness.

"I'm absolutely sure. The regulars can come back tomorrow," I said, trying to reassure her.

2 cups of coffee and half a pie later, we were nearly finished, and I rose to light the lamps. The discussion about the party had ended a while ago, and since then, we had just been reminiscing, and exchanging stories. I had just told her about the time when Peter had been a small boy, and had wanted to help me wash the dishes. I had left him for a few minutes, and when I returned, he had managed to coat all of my dishes in soap. I had spent a long time trying to wash them off, and he had been bragging to Noah about how he was 'just like Mama.'

When I returned, we started to pick up our conversation again, and it led to Jack.

"Speaking of him, where is he?" I asked, noticing that he hadn't come in all day.

"He did his rounds this morning, and then went to his checkup with Carson," was her answer.

"I haven't really had a chance to ask you this, but I was just wondering how the 2 of you are doing," I finally asked, trying to break the ensuing silence.

Elizabeth just sat there and started at the details on the cup, trying to think of an appropriate answer. I waited patiently, hoping that I hadn't pushed her too far.

" We're doing alright I suppose," was her answer.

"Want do you mean, alright?" I pressed, trying to get her to reveal a bit more. I knew Elizabeth. When she was upset about something she bottled up all her feelings, and hid it with other emotions. The thing is, I could almost see the pressure rising within her, and I knew that if she didn't tell anyone her problems, she would soon explode.

She looked at me for a second, and I could see her trying to decide whether or not to answer my question.

"Ever since the 'incident' I can tell that Jack knows something. He experienced something, and I can tell that it's affected him. I've been waiting for him to tell me, and giving him his space, but when I ask him about it, he either clams up or changes the topic," she finished, sighing out her frustrations.

"Just give him some more time Elizabeth. He experienced a very traumatic event and needs time to sort out his thoughts. Noah was the exact same way. He always needed some time to think things out after something happened."

Elizabeth must have been processing my words, and I thought that that was the end of the conversation when she asked, "Like what?"

Her question surprised me, and I must have had a blank expression on my face, because she quickly added," I mean, what happened that Noah needed to take time and organize his thoughts. From what you tell me, he always seemed like he didn't let problems bring him down and pushed them away."

I smiled at the thought, and answered with," He usually was like that, but sometimes life pulled him down, and he struggled to get back up." My smile faltered, and I looked back up to meet her eyes. "Did I ever tell you about the mine accident that happened a few years before the explosion?"

Elizabeth's mouth dropped open, and she looked absolutely stunned. "No," she answered, "You never told me about that."

"About 5 years ago now, Noah was leading a group of men into a new shaft," I started, trying to sort out the memories rushing in my head. Elizabeth must have noticed my discomfort on bringing up the subject, for she reached over and grabbed my hand, squeezing it in a reassuring and comforting manner.

"It had been raining for days already, and one of the beams came down. Fortunately, all the men made it outside before the whole shaft collapsed in. After, Noah felt so guilty that he led those men in. No one blamed him, of course, but he blamed himself. He wouldn't talk to me for days, but once he had time alone to pray and think things through, everything went back to normal."

Tears were streaming down my cheeks now, at the memory of how close I was to losing Noah that day. I still thanked God to this day, that He gave us more time together.

"Thanks for sharing that with me Abigail. I really hope that whatever's going on between Jack and me sorts itself out with time," Elizabeth said, sounding choked up as well.

The rest of the evening passed by quicker then expected, and our conversation soon slowed down, and Elizabeth turned to go home. Before she was at the door however, I asked, "By the way, what should I get Jack for his birthday? Any ideas?"

As soon as the words were out of my mouth, Elizabeth's eyes grew to the size of saucers.

"What is it? It's like you've seen a ghost or something," I said, my voice teasing.

"I don't know what to give Jack for his birthday!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

Thank you all so much for your reviews! I apologize again for the late chapter, but I promise that I've planned a lot more for this story.


	9. Chapter 9

Thanks for the support! It keeps me going! No characters belong to me… Sorry for the wait! I was on vacation...

Elizabeth's POV

Sunlight filtered through the window, and I slowly opened my eyes to meet the bright light. I glanced over to the side, expecting to see Jack's sleeping form like every morning, but the sight of rumpled blankets met me instead. Sitting up, a moment of panic rushed through me, but I was instantly calmed when I heard the sizzling of bacon coming from the kitchen.

Moving to the side of the bed, and standing up, intending to fetch my robe from the other side of the room, a moment of dizziness passed through me. It was gone in an instant however, and I didn't think much of it, blaming it on moving too fast.

I headed down the stairs, a bit slower this morning, being a bit more careful. I passed the drawing that Jack had created of himself and I, and smiled, the memories of that day coming back full force. Even back then I knew that I was in love with Jack and wanted to be his wife, although never admitting that fact to myself until later. I paused for a second, thanking God that He had let everything turn out okay. Ever since mine and Jack's conversation a couple of weeks ago, I was trying to mend my relationship with God. It would be a while until everything went back to normal, but I didn't mind.

As I stepped off the last step, Jack turned to face me, attention switching from the bacon cooking on the stove, to me. He looked so handsome, with his hair tousled and robe wrapped around him. A lazy smile spread across his face, and he said, "Good morning, Mrs. Thornton."

Repeating the same words that I had spoken months ago, the morning after our wedding, I responded with, "Good morning Mr. Thornton."

I strode over to his side, and rested my head on his shoulder, while he flipped the eggs. We just stood there for the longest time, just thankful for each other's company. Finally, Jack broke the silence with his words, "Breakfast is almost done. You can have a seat, while I serve up your plate."

I opened my mouth to protest, but he glanced at me with 'the look'. 'The look' that was a mix between requesting me to stop arguing with him, and pleading puppy dog eyes. The 'look' that he had used many times these past few weeks.

I closed my mouth, and headed toward the table to pull out a chair for myself. I should be thankful that Jack was almost fully recovered. Although he still had a brace on his wrist that would come off in a few weeks, his ribs were almost completely healed, he only walked with a slight limp, and his bruises and cuts were completely gone. He was making amazing progress, but I still worried about him injuring himself again.

I've convinced him to wait a few weeks before riding Seargent again, but what will happen then? What if he falls off? What if he's injured when capturing another criminal? What if headquarters calls him out on another mission? I knew they were stupid and crazy worries, but I was allowed to worry sometimes, right?

A plate of food and a cup of coffee being set down before me broke my chain of thought. Everything looked absolutely delicious, and I was very grateful that Jack cared so much. I was about to thank him, when the smell hit me like a ton of bricks. Nausea started to rise within me, and my head started to spin. It was like my feet had a mind of their own though, carrying me over to the door. I barely heard Jack call out, "Elizabeth, are you okay?" I couldn't answer him though, I had to get some fresh air. Flinging the door open, I staggered out into the morning air. Gasping in as much of the stuff as I could, the world finally stopped spinning, and I could now feel Jack holding my arm to keep me from dropping to the ground, and could feel his other hand rubbing circles on my back. The nauseousness finally started to disappear, and I could now hear the chirping of the birds instead of the rushing in my ears. Jack slowly led me back into the house, and sat me down on the couch.

"Are you okay Elizabeth? Do you want me to get you a cold towel? Do you need me to fetch Carson or Faith?" he asked, worry clear on his face. I almost laughed at the craziness of the situation. 5 minutes ago, I was worrying about him.

"I'm fine Jack. The smell of the food probably just didn't settle with me right." I looked up into his worried eyes, and managed to smile, trying to reassure him. Once I was sure another bout of dizziness wouldn't come to pass, I slowly got up, so I was in a sitting position with my legs crossed.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Jack asked once more. "I can stay home with you today if you want," he added after a second.

Almost instantaneously, my legs shot out from their sitting position and were throwing themselves over the side of the couch, so I ended up in an upright position. Slight panic surged, and I yelled out, "No! I have to go to school!" I was incredibly gracious that my mouth clamped shut at that moment, and my reasons for my demand hadn't been revealed. I had to go to school, because the children were finishing the decorations for the party and I had to check how the 'committee' was doing, the committee being most of the town. I had originally planned to keep the party small, but the news spread very quickly when Rosemary had gotten wind of it. Perhaps the old adage, 'the more, the merrier' would come true…

Jack had a look on his face that was a mixture of concerned, alarmed, and suspicion, and I honestly didn't blame him. It's been hard these last 2 weeks, keeping the news of his party a surprise, and a few times, I've nearly let the cat out of the bag. It turns out keeping a secret from your husband, who's also a Mountie, trained to deal with criminals, is an impossible task. The big day was tomorrow, however, and all secrets would soon be revealed.

"Why do you need to go to school so badly, Elizabeth?" Jack asked, suspicion creeping into his voice.

"Um, um," I stammered, desperately thinking of a suitable answer.

My words, or lack thereof, did nothing but arise his suspicions even further. He cocked his eyebrow, and met my eyes, and asked again, "Why do you need to go Elizabeth?"

I was about to let everything out, when I was saved by the bell, or rather, a knock on the door. As soon as Jack strode away to answer it, I let out a sigh of relief that I didn't know I had been holding in. Just before his hand was on the doorknob however, the door slammed open, narrowly missing Jack, and Rosemary burst forward.

"Elizabeth, are you alright?" she gasped out, taking both my hands in hers. I glanced past her to Lee, standing there looking very apologetic for his wife's actions. He mouthed the words, 'I tried to stop her,' in an effort to try and explain.

I focussed my attentions back on Rosemary, and answered her concerns, "Thank you for being worried about me, but I'm absolutely fine now. I just had a moment of dizziness there." About halfway through my explanation, I wondered how Rosemary would know about what happened, but then I remembered how thin the company house walls were.

She seemed to accept my explanation, and I thought she was going to let my hands go when she unexpectedly pulled me into a tight hug. The action was nice enough, but it was a tight hug. And I mean a very tight hug, as in she was slowly suffocating me tight hug.

She was 'comforting' me by rubbing circles on my back, and murmuring words into my ear like, "Shush, it's okay,' and 'there, there, now."

Although I didn't need comforting of any sort, it was kind of nice to be cared about so much by Rosemary. Although our relationship has gotten much better over the years, we sometimes had our disagreements.

When I realized that she wasn't letting go any time soon, I turned my head back so I caught the attention of Lee, signalling to come help me before I passed out from lack of oxygen. He quickly stepped forward, grabbing Rosemary's arm, and lightly pulled her off of me, with the words, 'let's give Elizabeth some room now."

She scowled a bit, but for once, didn't object. I was very grateful when Jack swooped in, and stood by my side. Before I could ask if I could help the Coulter's with anything else, Jack spoke up, looking at the clock before doing so.

"It was nice of you to see if Elizabeth was alright, but I think we all need to start getting ready for the day."

I was about to agree with his suggestion, when Rosemary cut in. "Elizabeth, are you still going to school today? I could sub in, if you'd like. I never did get to finish telling the children about myself in a production of the Nutcracker."

"Yes Rosemary, I'll teach today. No need for a sub, but thank you for the offer," I quickly reassured her.

"About that, how are the decorations going?"

As soon as the words were spoken, both me and Lee gave her a sharp glance to quiet her. I looked over to Jack, who seemed to notice the interaction, and seemed to be trying to figure it all out. As soon as he opened his mouth to say something, I cut him off.

"The decorations for the classroom! Oh, they're lovely! The posters are looking amazing so far. You should come by and see them!" Through my spiel, I think Rosemary had finally processed the impact of her statement, for her face expression changed from confused, to startled, to horrified.

"Lovely! I'll be sure to drop by and have a look. I'm sure the classroom will brighten right up," she said, trying to cover up.

Before we had another chance to incriminate ourselves further, and spill the beans, Lee took Rosemary's hand, and marched out the door, yelling behind," Sorry, got to go. Long day at the mill!," with Rosemary voicing her agreement.

"Yes, long day at the mill, indeed!" before shutting the door behind her, and leaving us in silence.

I brushed past Jack, looking at the clock, and I headed to our bedroom. "I'm going to go dress. I have to leave soon," I announced, without looking back to see Jack's reaction.

I needed to get out of here before I revealed everything. I just needed to keep the secret until tomorrow. Before I closed the door to the bedroom, however, one of my concerns was remembered. 'I still didn't have a gift for Jack…"

Jack's POV

Everyone was acting weird, and I had no clue what was going on. The weirdness started happening about 2 weeks ago, and I didn't know when it was going to stop. First, everyone has been giving me weird looks when I go and do my rounds. I figured it would be over soon, but even my close friends have been acting strange. Abigail, Lee, Rosemary, Bill and even Elizabeth were all acting like they were keeping some sort of secret from me.

And now this. I knew for a fact that Rosemary revealed something important, but decorations doesn't seem that big of a deal, and Elizabeth's explanation made a lot of sense. Maybe my detective skills needed a bit of work.

Speaking of work, I needed to get to the jail. I had mountains of paperwork to catch up on, and that stack of papers wasn't going to get smaller by itself. For now, I would just ignore the weirdness, and focus on being the Mountie of Hope Valley.

Abigail's POV

I looked up from wiping down a table, as Elizabeth strode through the door. The school day had finished, and she must have just finished up at the schoolhouse. Cody was outside playing baseball with his friends. As soon as she closed the door, she asked, "Is everything ready?" Before I could answer, Clara brought in the final plate of sandwiches, exclaiming," last plate Abigail," answering Elizabeth's question for me.

Elizabeth looked comically relieved, slumping her shoulders and pulling out a chair to sit on. These past few weeks, she's seemed more tired, but I figured it might have just been stress. Kicking into hostess mode, I offered," Does anyone want a celebratory cup of coffee?"

"I'd love to Abigail, but I was going to go meet Jesse. He's taking me to his favorite fishing spot," Clara explained, with a bit of hesitancy. I smiled and nodded at her, making sure to reassure her. I didn't want to hold her back. She was young, and had a lot of living to do yet, and with the way things were going, I was certain that love was in young Clara's future.

"That's alright Clara. You go have fun. You can join us for a cup some other time," I said, and Elizabeth nodded in agreement.

My words must have worked, because she took off her apron, and headed out the back door, calling out, "I'll be back at dinner Abigail, and it was nice to see you again Elizabeth," before shutting the door behind her, and leaving the two of us alone.

I turned back to face Elizabeth, and I could tell that something was bothering her, so I asked, "Elizabeth, is there something wrong? Anything that you want to tell me?" before pulling a chair out, and sitting right across from her.

"I don't have a gift for Jack yet," she admitted. "I made him a card, but that doesn't seem big enough."

I sat there for a while, just contemplating her words, trying to think of a solution. Finally I suggested, "How about if we say that my gift is from the both us?"

Elizabeth gave me a kind look before answering," That's a very nice offer, but I think my gift has to be from me, alone."

Again, I started to think, but couldn't come up with any ideas. Eventually I sighed out my frustrations, and gave up.

"I don't know what you'll think of Elizabeth, but I know that it will be a genuine gift from the heart," I finally added, unable to think of anything else to say.

Suddenly I remembered the coffee, and got up to retrieve it before it got cold. When I entered back into the room, pot in hand, I thought for a second that Elizabeth looked a few shades paler, but figured it was a trick of the light. When I poured the cup, and set it down in front of her, I knew I wasn't imagining anything.

She sat there for a millisecond, looking white as a sheet, before springing out of the chair, and stumbling toward the door at a rapid pace, hand on her stomach. I was too shocked to move, before the sound of the door opening broke my shock. I rushed after her, and was at her side. She was leaning heavily on he rail, gasping in breaths of air.

Once it looked like she wasn't going to topple over any second, I asked," Are you okay now Elizabeth?"

She looked to me and answered," I'm fine now thank you. The smell of the coffee just made me sick." She focussed her attention back to a point in the distance, and after a while, added to her last comment.

"The weird thing is, I had the same thing this morning. I felt dizzy and sick after I smelled the breakfast Jack had made."

This was definitely strange. Feeling sick once a day was peculiar, but twice? I was making a mental list of Elizabeth's symptoms, trying to figure it all out. Tiredness, nauseousness, dizziness and headaches. I was just about to suggest paying a trip to Carson or Faith, when it hit me.

I had experienced all these symptoms myself, years ago, and it hadn't turned out to be a simple stomach flu. Running the symptoms through my head once again, I came to the same conclusion. A smile started to spread across my whole face that I couldn't stop. Elizabeth looked at me strangely, and asked, "What is it?"

"I'm not quite sure yet, but I think you have the perfect gift to give Jack tomorrow."

"Really? What is it?"

"Elizabeth, you're going to have a baby."

Longest chapter yet! So sorry for the long wait. I'll try to update more often. Thanks for reading a reviewing!


	10. Chapter 10

**Here you go! Hope you enjoy reading, as much as I did writing.**

Jack's POV

I was sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace basking in the warm glow that it radiated. Elizabeth was cuddled up next to me, but we weren't alone. A little girl, about 4 years old, and a little boy, about 2, folded themselves into crazy positions, so all 4 of us were sitting on the couch, just watching the flickering flames. My life was absolutely perfect, wasn't it?

KNOCK KNOCK!

The sound of knocking woke me up with a start. Someone was at the door. I slowly opened my eyes, not ready for the day yet. I had been having such an amazing dream about me and Elizabeth's future. I just prayed that one day, my dreams would become a reality. I was just about to close my eyes again, and continue with my dream, but the continued knocking caused me from doing so. Rolling over onto my side, so my face was almost inches away from Elizabeth's I though for a second that it was honestly a miracle how she was able to sleep through almost anything. Even back when I first met her, she was a heavy sleeper. I momentarily considered leaving a note on her forehead, just as I had those years ago, but I realized that not even God Himself could protect me from her anger if I did so.

Sliding my legs over the side of the bed, and shuffling on my slippers and robe, I left the room as quietly as I could. I didn't want to wake Elizabeth when I didn't have to, but I doubt that if she didn't wake up from he knocking, she wouldn't wake up for anything. These past few weeks, she's come home more tired than usual. I'm not quite sure what's wrong, but I'll have to get her to visit Carson later.

Stepping off the final step of the stairs, and heading toward the door, my brain started to kick in, and I was able to remember some key facts.

1\. Today was my birthday

2\. Today was a Saturday

3\. It was 7:00 AM

Just before I pulled open the door to reveal who had woken me up, I hoped for their sake, that they had a VERY good reason for waking me up so early. I had absolutely nothing planned for today, and sleeping in sounded like the perfect way to start my birthday.

Pulling open the door, I was extremely shocked to meet the eyes of my mother. Without a word, she pulled me forward and hugged me tight. When she finally pulled back, I was shocked once again to see tears forming in her eyes. Charlotte Thornton never cried. Even when we lost Dad all those years ago, she never let a tear loose, instead staying strong for Tom and me.

"Oh, Jack," she breathed out, voice shaky. Before I could wonder what she was upset about, or ask about what was going on, she reached out her hand to cup my cheek, and started to explain.

"I am so glad to see that you're okay. When the Mounties telegrammed Tom when they thought you had died, he went out to find me. I didn't learn about your supposed death until a week later. We were on our way to Hope Valley, when the telegram from Bill reached us, saying you were alive and in a hospital in Graceville. That telegram was also late, so once we got there, you had already been discharged. We both wanted to come visit you sooner but we figured that since your birthday was coming up, we could visit you then, so here we are."

Before I could ask about who 'we' was, I received the second surprise of the day. Tom came around the corner and strode up onto the porch. He also stepped forward without a word, and pulled me into a tight hug, clapping me on the back, and I, doing the same to him. When I pulled back this time, he looked up into my face, and said, "I'm glad that you're okay Jack. I couldn't bear to lose you, brother."

Although short, his words meant more to me than anything. Remembering the time when me and Elizabeth were in Hamilton and I found Tom living on street corners, willing to pick a fight for no reason at all, I thought that I had lost him. Since we reconciled however, things have been nearly back to normal, but just hearing him call me 'brother' made me incredibly thankful.

"Where's Lizzy?" Ma asked, breaking the silence, and bringing me out of my chain of thought.

I nearly rolled my eyes at just hearing the name, about to correct her, but figured that it was Ma's way of showing affection. I was just about to reply that she was still sleeping when I heard the stairs creaking behind me, from inside. Turning around and opening the door, I was met with Elizabeth's sleepy, but surprised face. She stood there for a second presumably in shock, before crossing across the threshold onto the porch.

"It's very nice to see you again Charlotte. You too, Tom!" she exclaimed addressing both of them before turning to give them each a hug.

"I'm glad that both of you could make it!" she exclaimed.

Ma smiled and responded with, "We thought that we'd surprise you all, and visit for Jack's birthday."

She seemed satisfied enough with Ma's answer nodding her head in agreement. I was just about to suggest that we all should head over to Abigail's café and have an early breakfast, when the door of the house beside us opened. Rosemary stepped out, and for once in her life, was quite speechless. After a second or so though, she walked down onto the road, and climbed up onto our porch, exclaiming, "How nice to see you Charlotte! Long time no see Tom!"

She hugged them both and started to talk a mile a minute, catching them up with everything that had happened these past few months. Tuning out her voice, I looked back to Elizabeth who was looking at me. I smirked and mouthed the words, 'Some things never change.' Looking very amused, she smirked back and responded with, 'I guess they don't,' with a little shrug of her shoulders.

During our little conversation, Lee had stepped out of the house, and had joined us on our little porch, standing beside Rosemary, looking tired. I wondered why, though. As far as I knew, the sawmill was booming, and his men were happy with the working conditions. When I thought about it a bit longer, I realized that everyone looked a bit more tired than usual. I would figure that mystery out later, though.

During my train of thought, I hadn't noticed Elizabeth trying to get my attention.

Psst. Psst, Jack! Elizabeth hissed, looking slightly annoyed.

Glancing over to see what was happening, she mouthed out the words, 'I'm going to the café.'

'Do you want me to come with you?' I replied.

'No, I'll only be gone for a little bit. Invite them in for breakfast,' she said.

Looking down, I realized indeed, that she was right. While she had time to put on a robe and some shoes, I had answered the door in my nightclothes, and was barefoot. Nodding back, she slipped back into the house unnoticed, intending to escape out the back door. The strangest thing had happened though. I could have sworn that Ma had given a quick wink to Elizabeth before she had left, but blinking a few times, I decided it had to have been the light in my eyes. Right?

Elizabeth's POV

I had wanted to stay and chat with the group, but I had to get to Abigail's. Pleasantries would have to come later, because phase 1 of the plan was already in motion. If everything went according to the plan, Jack would be occupied for about an hour. Enough time for everything to be set up, enough time to see the note, enough time for me to get to the café, and then to the infirmary, so Faith could double check what I already knew. That we were going to have a baby.

I guess we would be adding to the Thornton clan sooner than anyone expected. As I headed toward the cafe, a million thoughts and questions were rushing in my head. Were we having a girl or a boy? What would he or she look like? How would everyone take the news? And most importantly, how would Jack react? I knew that he wanted to have children. We both wanted them, but was everything happening too soon? Would he be thrilled like I was, or would he be nervous? This day was already full of surprises, but I had a feeling that more were coming our way.

Abigail's POV

Where was she? Elizabeth was supposed to get to the café and meet us as soon as Charlotte and Tom arrived, to distract Jack. Phase 1 of our plan, as we had begun to call it, was already in motion. I don't know who had come up with the silly names. Probably one of the children. The plan was that as soon as Elizabeth got here and gave us the signal, we would start moving everything up to Jack's land, where the picnic/party would take place. While everyone else did that, I would finish wrapping up the gifts. Jack was receiving a lot of gifts today, but I think the best one will be from Elizabeth. After I had figured everything out yesterday, and Elizabeth went home absolutely ecstatic, I had stayed awake for a long time, just thinking about everything that had happened. The news of Jack's death. Elizabeth finding out that he was alive. The 3 of us travelling to Graceville. Their reunion. Jack being released from the hospital and coming home. His recovery process, and finally, a new addition to their family. Speaking of their family, our present couldn't come at a better time. I just hoped they liked it.

I looked up from the cup of coffee I was nursing when Bill announced that she was coming. Striding over, and opening the door for her, she looked around me to see the people gathered in the café. About 15 of us were already here, ready to help. She stepped into the room and she looked shocked to see all of us. I felt the same way. At first, this party was only supposed to be between a few people. Without me noticing, though, this party has become a bigger deal than I expected. Than what Elizabeth expected. Probably more than what anyone expected. I guess it proves to show what a tight knit community Hope Valley was. Actually, at this point we weren't so much a community as a family, always willing to build each other up, and help each other in times of trouble.

"Okay everyone, start carrying everything out to the wagon. We want to get this thing started as soon as possible," Bill announced, standing up. I was honestly surprised that Bill wanted a part in any of this. He usually was the one that didn't want anything to do with parties or anything fun at all. I suspected though, that the only reason he was taking in any of this was because of Jack.

Jack meant so much to Bill. He meant a lot to all of us, but Bill and Jack had a special relationship, like that of a father and a son. I suspected that the reason why Bill was determined to be a big part of this whole thing, was that he felt guilty for never telling Jack how much he means to him.

As I was watching all the hustle and bustle and feeling the excitement levels rising, Elizabeth pulled out a chair across from me, sitting down. I knew she had to get to the infirmary, but I reckon that she hadn't any breakfast yet, so I was about to get up and go grab a plate of muffins, when she reached out her hand and grabbed my arm, stopping me from standing up.

My face expression must have reflected some of the confusion I felt, but I sat back down regardless, waiting for an explanation. Finally after everyone had left, the back door had closed, and we had been left in silence, Elizabeth spoke up.

"Do you think I'll be a good mother? What if I mess up some how?" she blurted out.

Without even thinking, I laughed.

"What's so funny?" Elizabeth asked, with looking half horrified and half offended at my ridiculous action.

Finally gaining some control over my laughter, I was able to answer her.

"Elizabeth. For your first question I don't know anyone else who would be a better mother than you. You are incredibly great with the children. They all love you! Everyone loves you, for that matter. And as for Jack, I think he would be an amazing father. And as for your second question, I don't think you can mess up being a mother. Yes, you might make a few mistakes along the way, but you can also learn from your mistakes, so as not to repeat them again. And know this: the whole town will be behind the both of you supporting you along the way." I said, my answer completely sincere.

She just smiled at me, looking a lot more reassured, but still a bit doubtful. I started giving her some advice in an attempt to remove any trace of doubt from her mind.

"I understand that you're nervous, Elizabeth. I don't think it's normal for anyone not to be nervous if they were in your situation. It's very understandable. It'll be a big change for the both of you, but you learn to adapt to change after a while. Just remember that you have friends here that you can come to. Also, I hear that there's always someone willing to listen to your worries and fears," I teased, glancing upward.

She giggled and I felt the air around us start to calm. Soon the discussion changed, and we were talking about babies. I was curious to know what they were having, but I had a feeling that boy or girl, the little Thornton baby would have me wrapped around his or her little finger. During our discussion, a plate of my muffins had come out and we had been making our way through them. We also went over our little plan of how Elizabeth would reveal everything to Jack.

While we were talking, the air around us seemed to change from hectic and busy, to calm. I knew that it wouldn't last for long though. Reluctantly, Elizabeth stood up, getting ready to go. I would see her in a couple of hours, though. I quickly gave her a hug before she left, and she thanked me for my reassurances. I watched her out of the window as she headed toward the infirmary, and I could swear that she had a bounce to her step.

Faith's POV

What would courting Carson be like? Would it be weird? Did he even think of me in that way?

"Hello, are you here Faith?" Elizabeth's voice called out, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I hadn't even heard the door open. Shaking my head, I reminded myself that it would be too complicated to have a romantic relationship with my boss. My job was taking care of people.

"I'm back here Elizabeth. I'll be out in a second."

Mentally reminding myself what my duties were once more, I stood up from where I was sitting at my little desk. When Carson started working here, he noticed that I had no space for any patient files, so he bought me a desk. He even made sure to have an extra drawer made for my pencils, knowing about my tendency to lose them. I smiled at the memory before remembering about Elizabeth.

Striding out of the little room, my eyes immediately scanned the examination room, and saw Elizabeth standing at the door. She looked quite calm, but she had this air of excitement around her, so I didn't suspect any kind of emergency, but I was quite surprised to see her, because she had just had a checkup a few months ago. Plus, Jack's birthday was today, and I thought that she would be overseeing the entire thing.

"Good morning, Elizabeth," I said. "Are you here about Jack?" I asked, guessing her intentions.

"Actually, in a way I am" she said cryptically.

"Okay, what would you like me to do for you?" I questioned, wanting to know what she could possibly be here for. She didn't look sick, Jack was almost fully recovered, and today was going to be a day of celebration.

Elizabeth took a deep breath in, looked up to make eye contact with me, and said," Faith, I want you to check if I'm pregnant."

I was shocked for a second, but I quickly recovered, because I felt a grin spread across my face. Elizabeth then gave me a look that I interpreted as, 'please don't make me wait another second. I want to know now.'

"Okay, how about you lay down for a second, and start telling me your symptoms."

Elizabeth's POV

"And you're absolutely sure, right?" I asked, probably for the millionth time. I just had to make sure.

Faith looked a little bit exasperated at this point, but I didn't really mind, I just had to hear her say it once more.

"Yes, Elizabeth, I'm 100 percent sure that you're pregnant."

I still couldn't believe it. Last night, Abigail figured it all out, but now that I heard it from a professional, it seemed a lot more real.

"You should probably get going Elizabeth. You need to get Jack so the party can start."

Right. I have to tell Jack now. I couldn't honestly believe it.

Jack's POV

I had just finished clearing up the dishes from breakfast, and had went to go make the bed, when I found the note. It was a small piece of paper, but it had been placed in a way that I wouldn't have ever missed it. Picking it up and unfolding it, I was met with Elizabeth's neat writing. On it were 6 words, and I couldn't help but smile at them.

Take a ride with me

-Elizabeth

I knew exactly where she wanted to meet. It was a very sweet gesture and I was getting ready as soon as I had read the words. As I walked out the door, I had a fleeting thought. 'What was Elizabeth up to?'

Elizabeth's POV

Where could he be? I was certain that he had seen the note already. I had placed it right on his pillow, so when he went to make the bed, he would find it, and know to meet me here, at the stables. His horse Seargent, and my horse Misty were already saddled up, so all we had to do was ride up to Jack's land. I was just about to check to see if he was approaching when I heard his voice.

"Is this my birthday present?" he called out, with a grin on his face, and his dimples showing.

"It's part of it! You just have to wait and see what the rest of it is."

"Come on. Just give me a hint," he pleaded, a slight pout forming.

"Nope. You've got to wait and see. Not saying another word."

Surprisingly he didn't ask about it anymore, and we rode in silence for a couple of minutes, with only the songs of the birds breaking the silence, or the occasional snort of the horses. Finally Jack spoke up, "Why are we riding up to our land?" he called, from behind me.

"Just be patient and wait! You'll find out soon enough" I responded back with a laugh. It was kind of fun to annoy Jack like this.

He stayed quiet for a few more minutes until we both heard the sound of music coming from up ahead.

"What's that soun…" Jack asked, just as we rode over the crest, and the sight of streamers, a banner that said 'Happy Birthday Jack', and the whole town milling about interrupted him.

He was riding beside me now, slowing Seargent down to a walk and he looked over to me with complete and utter shock. At this, everyone had noticed us ride up, and were all shouting, "Happy birthday!" I had stopped Misty, so we were facing each other. Instead of an explanation I just said," Happy birthday, Jack Thornton."

Abigail's POV

The party was in full swing now. Food was being served, music was playing, people were approaching Jack and congratulating him, and everyone looked happy. I was sipping a glass of juice looking for Elizabeth in the crowd, when I saw her. She had been looking for me too, apparently and I mouthed out the words, 'present time.'

She looked scared for a second, but she braced herself and looked back with resilience. She took a deep breath, and started to head toward Jack. I quickly sent up a quick prayer for her.

Jack's POV

I had been talking to Bill about how the injured recruits were doing, when Elizabeth approached. She had a look on her face that I couldn't quite place, but I had a feeling she wanted to talk to me, alone.

"Excuse me," I told Bill before heading over and meeting Elizabeth, not bothering to hear his answer.

As soon as I was close enough, Elizabeth took my hand and led me away from the group. Curious, I was about to ask her what she was doing, when I remembered our exchange this morning. It was probably better just to follow her without asking any questions. Once we were far away enough that I could barely hear the noise of the crowd, she stopped, and turned to face me.

Again without saying a word, she pulled an envelope from a small pocket from her dress, and handed it to me. I took it, and started to open it. For some reason my heart started beating faster, and I nearly dropped the letter in my nervousness.

"Here's your present Jack. Read it out loud."

I glanced up, and Elizabeth nodded. I finally managed to pull the letter out, and I unfolded it.

I started to read.

"Hi! I haven't met you yet, but I'm very excited to. I can't wait for the adventures that we'll have in the future. I know that you haven't met me yet either but I hope that you'll love me as much as I love you. I'm also really excited to meet all your friends. They sound like such amazing people! See you in about 8 months!

-Baby Thornton."

By the end of the letter I was whispering the words, trying to force them out of my throat. I reread the letter again, wondering if I was dreaming. I slowly lifted my head up to see Elizabeth, with tears of happiness streaming down her face. Just like in my vision of the future.

"Elizabeth, are you serious?" I asked after a length of silence.

She nodded, and said the words that I will never forget.

"Jack, we're having a baby!"

 **Yes! Finally! I'm so sorry for taking so long on this chapter, but I'm just so happy for getting it done.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi** **all! No, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth if you were wondering. Thanks for being so patient with me. I recently lost my aunt, who I was really close with, and then I had a pretty serious case of flu, where I nearly landed in the hospital. Don't worry though, I'll continue with this story until It's done, but I'm not quite sure when that'll be. Until then, happy reading!**

Jack's POV

"Jack, we're having a baby!"

There aren't many things in life that can surprise me. When I was training to become a Mountie, they told me that I was one of the best at reacting to situations. I never panicked or ran away. I was taught to always use my head and use logic to my advantage, so I did. Of course, God can always throw you a curveball at any time. You just have to be ready to catch it. But right now, I hadn't caught the curveball that I had been thrown. No, I had missed it by a mile, and instead of it landing in my palm, in my control, it had landed and it had struck me like a punch to the gut.

Suddenly, I was back there. To the place before the gates of heaven. The place where a slideshow of images and scenes flashed before my eyes. The place where I had seen glimpses of my future.

And this was one of them. Closing my eyes, I struggled to remember that scene. It had appeared for only a second, and was gone like a thief in the night.

It was all coming back to me. Elizabeth with a huge grin on her face. Tears flowing freely down her cheeks. Trees and bushes in the background. A soft wind blowing. This was it.

"Jack, are you okay?"

A voice. Elizabeth's voice to be precise. Breaking my reverie and focussing my attention back on her, I noticed that she had a look on her face that was a mix between amusement and anxiousness. I knew I had to respond, but I suddenly couldn't force my words past the lump that had formed in my throat. Instead of responding with, "I'm fine," or something to that effect, I only managed to croak out one word.

"Baby."

Thankfully, instead of Elizabeth looking at me like I was an idiot, she bit her bottom lip gently and smiled up at me, tears now streaming down her face in pure joy and happiness. "Yes, Jack. We're going to have a baby."

At this point, the shock had worn off enough for me to actually think and respond like a normal person. So I did the first thing that came to mind. In one smooth action I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her, picking her up bridal style, with her squealing in surprise, and spun her around, kissing her with all the emotions I was feeling. Joy, excitement, delight. The list could have gone on forever.

Finally I set her down but pressed my forehead against hers and kept my hands on her back so we were only inches apart.

"Thank you Elizabeth. This is the greatest present you could have ever given me. I love you so much, and I already love our child." At this, I stepped back a little and took my arm from the small of her back, so that it lightly rested on her abdomen. I still couldn't fathom it. We were going to be parents. God had kept me alive so I could experience this moment.

"You're going to make a wonderful father, Jack Thornton. All our dreams and hopes are coming true," Elizabeth murmured, cupping my cheek with her hand.

Silently, I sent up a prayer of thankfulness to the One who made it all possible.

I was just about to ask Elizabeth how far along she was, when I heard the bushes rustle from behind. We both turned to see Abigail stepping away from the bushes that separated the clearing from where everyone else was gathered, to the private area we were standing in. When she got close enough, she called out, "So I hear congratulations are in order!"

Suddenly, everything made a bit more sense. The late night "talks" at the café. The suspicious looking glances that had passed between them. I should have known that Elizabeth would go to Abigail first.

"Indeed, they are!" I called back with a laugh.

Once she got close enough, I stepped away from Elizabeth to wrap a surprised Abigail into a tight hug.

"Thank you for everything you've done Abigail. It means more to us than I can possibly express with words," I exclaimed.

She just gripped me tighter and whispered into my ear, "I am so incredibly grateful that God has blessed us by keeping you alive. You can raise your son or daughter with the love of your life by your side, and I can watch your lives prosper."

Finally pulling away, Abigail stepped back and then pulled Elizabeth into a hug. Whispered words were passed between them, so I stepped back a bit further to let them have some privacy. I was sure that if I was meant to hear the words passed between them, I would be told later.

When they broke apart, Abigail announced that she should get back to the party before anyone got too curious as to where she was and started looking. She also reminded us that we should head back soon, too. After all, it was my birthday that they were celebrating.

As soon as Abigail's footsteps couldn't be heard anymore, I surprised Elizabeth for the second time today, cupping her cheek with the palm of my hand before leaning forward and pressing my lips against hers. I could hear her soft, sharp intake of breath in surprise, but she quickly responded to the kiss and pressed her body into mine.

The kiss seemed to last an eternity, but it probably only lasted a few seconds before I could feel Elizabeth's mouth form into a smile. I leaned back only slightly, resting my forehead against hers, and whispered against her lips, "What's so amusing, love?" only noticing then, the soft pink colouring her cheeks.

"I was just remembering the last time we were up here alone. Although difficulties have come our way since then, our love has stayed true, and now we're going to have a child to add to our lives," she whispered back, so softly I could barely hear them against the light blowing of the wind, the sound of a brook bubbling in the distance and the chatter of the townspeople.

Now I understood why she had been blushing at least. She had been recalling the time when before our wedding, I brought her up to this very spot and kissed Ms. Elizabeth Thatcher for the last time. This was one of the many reasons why I loved Elizabeth so. She always looked to the positive side of things in life, and I had a feeling that nothing could never take that away from her.

After staring into her deep blue eyes once more, almost trying to memorize their exact colour, I slowly leaned back, and started.

"Love is patient, love is kind."

Catching on pretty quick, Elizabeth added, "It does not envy, it does not boast. It is not proud."

And back and forth we went, until we came to the end where, in perfect sync, we both ended with the words, "love never fails."

I could have spent my entire day, right here with Elizabeth, but responsibilities seemed to be beckoning us back to the crowd. I know everyone must have worked so hard to pull this all off, without me finding out, so it seemed rude not to show up for it.

After I offered my arm to Elizabeth, and we were slowly making our way to the bush and tree barrier, she said, "If everyone is nearly done eating, it's time for them to give you your gifts."

Slightly confused, I responded with, "Why? Nobody needed to get me anything."

"But Jack, you deserve every single one of them," she expressed.

I hesitated, then gave her a big smile, wrapping my arm around her shoulder. "What can I say? Even if I do, everything I want in the world is right here."

Abigail's POV

I was just about to look for them, when I saw them emerge from the bushes. Jack must have noticed my gaze, for his head turned in my direction. Ushering him over, he said something to Elizabeth, and they both quickly and efficiently made their way through the crowd toward where I was standing by the food tables.

When they were close enough that I could speak without raising my voice too much, I asked, " Are you going to announce present time yet?"

With a smile, Jack responded back with, "I was just about to. It looks like everything is winding down a bit, so now seems like the best time."

Clearing his throat, he raised his voice to be heard over the chatter of the crowd.

"If I could have everyone's attention please!"

Waiting for the chatter to die down, he only continued when everyone's eyes were on him. It amazed me that he was able to gain control of a crowd so fast, but I suppose getting the attention of a crowd was an important task of a Mountie.

"First of all, I want to thank everyone for coming today. It means a lot to us. I would also like to thank those who planned and set everything up. Not a lot of things surprise me, but this sure did!"

He paused when the crowd started to laugh.

"I also want to thank everyone for the support that we have been given these last few months. We honestly couldn't have gotten through it without you all. Finally I want to give the biggest thanks to my wife, Elizabeth, for never leaving my side and for being the greatest gift in my life."

During his speech, I noticed that his hand had instinctively reached down to grab Elizabeth's, and was now holding it speech was so touching and beautiful and full of love, that I saw several people wipe away teas from their eyes. Me included.

"But without further adieu, let's get to my favorite part: opening presents!"

Jack's POV

Before I knew it, everyone had gathered around the table, and was either sitting on the blankets that had been brought along, or standing and watching. As I picked up a small, lightweight box, I quickly sent up a prayer of thanks for all my friends.

As I took the lid off of he box, signed by Abigail, I was shocked to see her gift. It was a beautiful black pillow, with the phrase, 'Maintiens le Droit' stitched on in red thread. The motto of the Mounties.

This process went on, with several thoughtful gifts being opened. Bill had gotten me new horseshoes for Sergeant. Several of Elizabeth's students had given me drawings. Carson had given me a Bible with my name etched into the cover. Faith had given me a book on the history of the Royal Northwest Mounted Police. Ned Yost gave me new painting supplies. Apparently, sometime over the years, my secret as an artist had gotten out.

My mother had even presented me with a present. All the journals and letters that my father had written over the years. As I flipped through the pages, and gazed at his handwriting, I suddenly looked forward to getting home to read them.

This process continued until there were only 2 items left on the table. Instead of picking one, or the other to open first, I chose the envelope, and I handed the big box to Elizabeth for her to open. During this time, everyone had become pretty quiet, but as I started cracking the seal on the unlabeled envelope, Lee stepped forward from the back and spoke up.

"That one's from all of us at Coulter Lumber. I hope you like it."

Just as I was about to respond, Rosemary cut me off and addressed the crowd, pointing at the box in Elizabeth's lap.

"And that one's from most of the women of Hope Valley."

My curiosity was pretty piqued now. Breaking the seal, I opened the top of the envelope and started pulling out a piece of paper with a message on it.

For some reason unknown, I started reading aloud.

'To Jack and Elizabeth. I know that these last few months have been tough on us all, so some plans were disrupted. You two have been a pillar of our community, and we can't thank you enough for everything that you have done for us. For your birthday Jack, we are paying back the favor, and are building your house. Construction starts tomorrow, and we will all work until it's finished.

Sincerely,

Everyone at Coulter Lumber."

I couldn't believe it. The house would be built. The house where Elizabeth and I would spend the rest of our lives in. I felt as though that I was in a dream. Everything was so perfect that I was sure that I would wake up and realize that I had been dreaming.

During this time, Elizabeth had finished untying the ribbon that held the box in her lap shut. I looked over to see her slide the lid off, and move away the paper rested on top. She gasped in surprise, and pulled out a quilt, with hearts on each square.

"All of us worked on a section," Clara explained.

"It's so beautiful," Elizabeth breathed out.

"We want you to know that you're always wrapped in love," Abigail added, tenderness in her voice.

Reaching over to grab Elizabeth's hand, I commented nonchalantly, "These gifts couldn't have come at a more perfect time."

As soon as the words were out, I wished I could take them back. Instantly, Elizabeth's eyes grew wide, and we both looked out into the curious faces of the crowd. Nobody said anything, and I thought that everyone overlooked the true meaning of my statement, when young Opal piped up, "Why, Mountie Jack?"

Uh oh. Should I tell her? Elizabeth and I never discussed whether we should tell everyone about the baby or not today.

Before I had a chance to make up something, my mother stepped forward and pointedly asked, "Yes, Jack. Why?"

Seriously? It was bad enough lying to a 6 year old, but my own mother?

Sighing, I glanced to Elizabeth. She had a similar look on her face, knowing that there was no other choice but to tell everyone.

"What I meant was…"

My words were cut off by the galloping of a horse's hooves. Turning around, I was astonished to see a young Mountie in his serge, no more than 20 years old, ride up. Standing up, I noticed that he had a serious look on his face. As soon as he was close enough, he asked, "Is Jack Thornton here?"

"I'm here."

"Mountie headquarters wants you to check in. They have a mission for you."

 **Thanks for reading! Next chapter will be posted soon.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Don't mind me while I butcher all the details about places, names etc from the show. I never bothered to do any research, so if anyone notices any huge mistakes, please leave a review or send me a pm, and I'll try my best to fix it.**

 **Author's Note-Please Read!: I know a lot of you are worried that I'm going to go the same route as the show did, but don't worry! It will all end up happy!**

 **Side note: I wish you all had more faith in me. I promise this is going to end up happy, and none of our favorite characters are going to die. Just give me a few chapters to explain everything.**

Elizabeth's POV

As soon as that Mountie came riding up, I knew that something bad was going to happen. His words just confirmed my worst fears. That Jack would be taken away from me again.

"Mountie headquarters wants you to check in. They have a mission for you."

"What? No, it can't be! That's not possible. They told me that I was retired from missions for good."

"The higher ups said this was the exception. They need your expertise on this case. After this, they will officially retire you."

I should say something. I should argue with the Mountie. I need to tell him that Jack has to stay with me, but I can't. It feels as though someone's hands are squeezing my throat, holding me down and choking out my protests.

Bill cut in, "If this is a case, send me in Jack's place to investigate then. He should still be on medical leave."

"They're aware of his situation, but they said that this is extremely important. Nobody can be sent in his place."

"What could be so important to risk my son's life?" Charlotte asked with desperateness clear in her voice. Several people voiced their agreements.

At that moment, that was the exact same thing that I felt. Desperateness. Everything that I loved was being ripped away from me, all in a few seconds. I was going to lose Jack again, and this time, he might not be so lucky.

"What do they want me to do?" Jack asked.

"I'm sorry, but they also said that's strictly confidential information. You'll find out when the time is right."

"But why are they recruiting me now? I've been on leave for months now."

"There's been enough evidence to open up an investigation."

"What investigation? Of what? Of who?"

"I'm sorry constable. My job was just to relay the message to you, and escort you back to Cape Fullerton."

"Escort me? When are we leaving?"

"As soon as possible, I'm afraid. You'll have time to pack and say your goodbyes of course."

"Fine then. How long should I pack for? "

"I don't know. They just said to pack for any occasion."

I couldn't do it. I couldn't stand around while my life was crumbling around me. I couldn't let Jack go without a fight. I needed to do something, so I did the only thing that seemed logical.

"If Jack goes, then I go with him," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, void of any emotion. I couldn't let them see that I was ready to collapse. I needed to stay strong.

Vaguely, I heard gasps go around, but I ignored them, only watching the expressions of Jack and the Mountie.

The air was silent, nobody dared to say a thing. I waited for Jack to say something, anything.

"Don't do this, Elizabeth. Please," Jack finally said, sounding strangled.

"I have to, Jack, I can't feel that hopelessness again. I can't let you go and you come back injured, or even worse. I just can't!"

I could feel my bottom lip trembling as I spoke my words as loud and clear as I could possibly make them.

"You know this could be extremely dangerous, Mrs. Thornton," the Mountie said.

"I don't care about the danger! I'm going with both of you to Cape Fullerton, and nobody can stop me!" I shouted, feeling tears form in my eyes, trickling down my cheeks, and my throat tighten up even more.

An arm rested on mine, and I could hear someone's voice telling me to calm down. It was probably Abigail, but I could barely hear her over the roar in my ears.

Looking back at Jack, he stared back at me with a conflicted look in his eyes.

"Please, just let me go with you," I breathed out so softly, I wasn't sure he even heard me.

It seemed like a century had passed before Jack closed his eyes in defeat, and slightly nodded in agreement. Excited, I glanced back to the Mountie, where he did the same thing, neither saying a word in this time.

It stayed silent like this for about a minute, before Charlotte cleared her throat and spoke up, effectively breaking the silence.

"When are you all leaving?"

The tone in her voice nearly broke me. It was a tone that I've never heard her use before, not even when Jack had pneumonia and had nearly died. I understood though. She was terrified of losing her son yet again, but couldn't do anything about it, except hope and pray.

And that was exactly what I planned on doing until Jack finished his mission, and we could come back home, safe and sound.

Because what else could I do?

Jack's POV

I didn't know. I didn't know what to think. I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say, and I certainly didn't know how to make any of his better.

Why did I agree to Elizabeth's crazy plan?

Deep down inside, I knew that part of the reason was that I wanted her to come along for selfish reasons. She was the rock in my life, always there to lean on, and my inspiration for carrying on. She was the one I took my strength from, and without her my life would be empty.

Letting her come along was selfish, though. I was leading her into a potentially dangerous situation in which she had no formal training. I was putting both her, and our baby at risk.

The one thing I did know though, was that I would do anything to keep her and our child safe. Because if worst came to worst, and only one of us could return to Hope Valley, it would be Elizabeth.

Elizabeth's POV

After that, everything was in chaos. During our confrontation, I had forgotten that everyone had watched the whole thing, and now they were all asking questions.

"When will you return?"

"Will it be dangerous?"

"Who will take over for you?"

I didn't bother to stop and answer any questions, mainly because I didn't have the answers to any of them.

"If everyone could help clear everything away and stop asking pointless questions, it would be very much appreciated!" I heard Abigail shout.

I gave a hint of a smile. It was just like Abigail to take charge and make the best of a situation. I trusted her to take care of things when we were gone.

Someone tugged at my arm, and I turned around, ready to tell the person that I wasn't going to answer any of their questions.

Instead, Jack was standing there, and he muttered under his breath," We have to get home and start packing. Constable Walters wants us to leave at one."

I did a quick calculation. We had just under an hour to pack up our necessities for an unidentified amount of time and say our goodbyes, possibly for the last time.

No! I couldn't think like that. I had to stay optimistic, but it was hard.

'God, give us the strength we need to fulfill this task, and keep us safe and in your care. Finally, if it is your will, return us back to Hope Valley.'

Jack's POV

We took our horses and rode back into town, silently. With everyone distracted for a little while, we could spend a few precious minutes together, without any interruption.

Tying up our horses to one of the posts outside, we made our way into the house.

"I'll start getting some of the stuff," Elizabeth said as she started to climb the stairs up to our bedroom.

"Pack a few thicker clothes in case we need them," I told her. She nodded and continued.

Once I heard her footsteps upstairs, I started walking around the kitchen and living room. Looking around at several of the pictures I had drawn that had been hung up, and stopping at the little table that held a few photographs and trinkets. I picked up one of the little glass birds that was sitting there and started stroking its wing with my thumb. Setting it down next to its pair, I realized that I would miss this place, more than I cared to admit. It was my home, and it was a part of me.

However, I couldn't wait until our house was built. For me, it would represent closure of an old chapter in our lives, and a beginning to a new one. It would be where our baby would hopefully be born and where we would spend the rest of our lives.

'I pray that we both live to see it', was my first thought that came to mind.

No! I couldn't think like that! I had to stay positive. If I kept on thinking thoughts like this, they would only drag me down, and add an extra burden to my ever increasing worries.

Instead, I tried to think of uplifting thoughts, and started to imagine what our baby would look like.

I imagined her as a girl, with Elizabeth's vibrant blue eyes and my brown hair, just like in my vision.

I also pictured her with a mix of our personalities when she got older. A little bit of Elizabeth's tenacity and kindness, and my loyalty and strength. I could guarantee even now, that she would be a force to reckon with.

Of course, I would love our baby regardless of it's gender, and I knew that he or she would follow in it's parents footsteps, and do great things in his or her own life.

Elizabeth's POV

We packed the small bags onto our horses, and rode into town. I wondered for a while where everyone had gone, and if we would have to leave without saying goodbye to them, but was relieved when I heard noise coming from the café.

Tying up Sergeant and Misty outside to a post, we headed in. As soon as we had crossed the threshold, the noise immediately died down. We headed to where the sound had come from, and I was surprised to see all our friends and family.

"We didn't want you to go, without saying goodbye," Abigail explained.

"Oh, Abigail. Thank you!" I exclaimed, as I stepped forward to wrap her in a tight hug.

"Don't worry about things here. I've got it covered. And please take care of yourself, Elizabeth. After all, you're carrying very precious cargo," Abigail whispered into my ear.

I could only nod my agreement, too afraid that I'd start crying if I spoke words. I finally stepped back, looking my best friend in the eyes, before turning to Rosemary and Lee.

"Be careful" was all that Rosemary said as I hugged her, and promised that I would take her advice very seriously.

Next was Lee. "Try to come back as soon as you can."

"We'll try our best," I answered.

Slowly, I made my way around the room, giving everyone a hug. I had just spoken to Clara, when I felt a slight tugging at my skirt, and a small pair of arms wrap around my midsection. Looking down, I saw the top of Opal's head, her face buried in my skirt, crying.

Gently bending down to her level, I took a handkerchief from my pocket and started dabbing her cheeks.

"What's wrong, Opal?"

"I don't want you and Mountie Jack to go again!" she cried out, and sniffled.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, but we have to go."

"Why?"

I had to think for a second for an answer. "Because Mountie Jack has an important job to do, and I want to be there to make sure he stays safe."

"But who's going to be the Mountie, and who's going to teach us?"

"I'm sure Mr. Avery will make sure the town stays safe. I'm not sure who'll teach you, though."

"I will," a familiar voice answered for me.

Standing up, I was then face to face with Charlotte.

"Thank you so much, Char-Mrs. Thornton," remembering Opal standing right there. "This means a lot to me. I'm sure the kids will be good."

"Don't mention it. Besides, if I can't go with my son, I might as well make myself useful."

A wave of sadness flooded me. "I'm sorry about that."

She took my hands into hers and gripped them tight. "Don't be. Jack is doing what's right, and I shouldn't try to stop him, or try to dissuade him. I'm glad you're going with him though. Jack's always had a streak of stubbornness in him, and in a tough situation, he would be more likely to listen to you, then me. Just take care of yourselves, and come back home soon."

"We will."

"Now, miss Opal. Let's find your friends. I have a game we can play," Charlotte told Opal, as she gently led her away. They both turned back and waved, and carried on.

I stood there for a second, thinking of Charlotte's words, when Bill's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"Elizabeth, if you run into any trouble, don't hesitate to contact me. I can't get any more info from Walters than I already have, so I don't know what situation you're going into. Just pay attention to your surroundings and don't act hasty. Make sure to follow Jack's instructions, and always be on guard. I already talked to him. He knows to always be on watch. This could be very danger…"

"Dangerous. I know," I said, effectively cutting him off. "I'll make sure to follow Jack's instruction. Yours too."

"Take care of the town while we're gone Bill. And stop worrying so much. It's not good for you," I teased with a little bit of a smile.

"Can't help it," he grunted out.

I don't know what I was thinking when I stepped forward to give him a hug. I blamed it on the pregnancy hormones. I was expecting him to push me away immediately, but surprisingly enough he hugged me back.

"I'll take care of all of us, even the one who isn't here yet" I whispered. I could feel him tense up, and as I stepped back. Someone else had to know, so it might as well be him.

"Elizabeth, are you…?" he managed to stammer out.

"Yes I am. Please don't tell anyone else though. I don't want to add to their worries."

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

Neither of us said anything, until Bill muttered, "Enough of all this emotional junk. It's bad for my image."

I rolled my eyes at his comment. Now this was the Bill Avery I knew and loved.

"I think you have to go," he pointed behind me to Jack, standing there with Constable Walters.

"Good bye, Bill."

"Good bye, Elizabeth."

Pivoting around, I made my way slowly to Jack and the other Mountie, not bothering to look back, because I knew that if I did, I would want to stay.

2 days later

Jack's POV

"We're almost there," Walters said. I nodded, but didn't say anything. I looked back to Elizabeth. She looked tired, and I couldn't blame her. As soon as we were briefed on my mission, I planned on getting her a room in an inn, so she could rest up. She would probably argue with me, and say that she needed to stay close to me, 24/7, but this time, I planned on digging in my heels.

It was a hard trip, riding through forests, and across streams but I could only imagine how much harder it had been for Elizabeth.

We rode for another 10 minutes up and down the streets, until we stopped before a large brick building. Walters left, explaining that since his job of escorting us was done, he could now go and do his rounds.

Tying up our horses, the two of us slowly crept up the steps. A large black, sign with the Royal Northwest Mounted Police tacked on in bold letters sat above the door. Pausing for a second, I reached to grab the handle and opened the door for m Elizabeth.

"Ah, constable! I was expecting you. I just…" Superintendent Collins said.

His voiced trailed off as soon as he looked up and saw Elizabeth.

"Superintendent, meet Elizabeth, my wife."

"Thornton, what is she doing here? You know this is against protocol."

"I'm here to make sure my husband stays safe Superintendent Collins, but I promise to not get in the way of any Mountie business," Elizabeth explained.

"Fine. Just know the risks." I was surprised that he let the issue go so quickly.

"Both of you, come into my office. We need to speak privately," he said next as he started to walk away.

We both quickly followed him down the short, dim, hallway until we got to a small door. He opened it and strode over to his desk sitting down.

"Take a seat, and uh, close the door behind you," he said.

I ushered Elizabeth in, and she sat down in the chair closest to the door. I softly closed the door and sat beside her.

"I'm sorry to hear about your injuries, constable," he started.

"I don't want to be rude sir, but I just want to find out why I've been called here so urgently," I said. My heart was hammering in my chest, so I found Elizabeth's hand and held it.

"Very well. We want you to investigate the landslide that occurred, which nearly took your life, and that of 50 recruits. We have reason to believe that it wasn't an accident, and that someone is trying to kill you."

 **And there you have it! Did you like it, or hate it? Please leave a review! Thanks so much for your continued support-it keeps me writing.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hi all! Did you see the new cast members for season 6? A new Mountie? Ugh, seriously?! I have no plans to watch season 6, but I already hate it so far. I don't honestly care what the show plans on doing, but I just hope that Elizabeth doesn't magically fall in love with some new guy (whether it be Carson, the new Mountie, whomever) in like 2 episodes. I know I'm getting too worked up about this, but those 2 last episodes of season 5 have traumatized me. Right now, I'm just going to say that my story is reality, and our intrepid Mountie and beautiful schoolteacher are alive and well. Anyways, my rant is over, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

 **Jack's** **POV**

"Very well. We want you to investigate the landslide that occurred, which nearly took your life, and that of 50 recruits. We have reason to believe that it wasn't an accident, and that someone is trying to kill you."

It was like time itself had slowed down and I was in some sort of unexplainable state. Somehow, in the last few seconds, or even minutes or hours- I couldn't tell, I had sunken down into another world or even switched bodies with someone else. I was aware of everything that was happening, but in a way I wasn't. I could hear Elizabeth's gasp, but I couldn't see her face. I could feel Collins gaze focussed on me, change from sympathetic to concerned. I was in a state of hyper-awareness, but yet, I wasn't.

Right now, I had thousands of questions that needed answering, but only one came to the forefront of my mind. Why? Why could my life never be simple? Why was my life always threatened? Why couldn't I have a simple job that never required any danger? And finally, why was it always me? I knew of several Mounties that had never been targeted, even with 30 plus years on the force. Why was I the one?

As soon as I was done this mission, I had half a mind to quit the Mounties and pick up a new career. What yet, I hadn't decided, but at least I would be out of the line of fire, both theoretically, and in reality. But right now, I had to focus. I had to use my training to get us both out of this mess alive. Because without meaning to, I had just pulled Elizabeth into a world of danger she didn't deserve to know or experience.

"How do you know that someone's out to kill me? They could be targeting one of the recruits that was in the landslide," I asked Collins, trying to keep calm and use logic. Well, as calm and logical as I possibly could with the circumstances.

"Unlikely. Your training was the first field work the recruits had done. You were the only one who had gone on any missions before," Collins said. He looked uncomfortable as he said this, and as he fidgeted in his seat, a thought crossed my mind. 'He's hiding something.'

"What else do you know?" I ground out, in a voice that shocked even me. I didn't mean for it to sound so harsh, but I didn't have time to beat around the bush. Collins would tell me, or I would find out myself.

He sighed, and without a word, he leaned back to open a drawer in his desk. He pulled out a folded note, unfolded it, and slid it across the desk for us to read.

'I missed my chance, but don't worry. I'm coming for you Jack, and I will make you pay.'

Elizabeth gasped again, her hand flying up to her cover her mouth in shock. Her whole body visibly tensed up. I understood her reaction, though. Finding out that someone's out to kill you isn't news that should be taken lightly. I would have reacted in a way similar to her, except that I was too focussed on examining the piece of paper. The sooner I figured this out, and the perpetrator was behind bars, the sooner the both of us could breathe easy.

I slowly reached out to grab the piece of paper. Apart from the menacing message, it was an ordinary piece of paper. No watermark, stains or smudges and no signature. So no hope for finding any fingermarks or any leads.

"When did you get this?" I asked Collins.

"One of the constables found it tacked on the door when he went to unlock the building Thursday morning. I already sent the constables out to interview any witnesses, but everyone they asked said they didn't hear or see a thing."

"Could this be some sort of sick practical joke that someone's trying to play on me, and the landslide was indeed an accident?" I asked, but deep down, I already knew what his answer was going to be. I still didn't want to hear it spoken aloud though.

"I'm sorry, Thornton. After everyone got out, including you, we opened an investigation as to why the landslide started in the first place. There had been no rain for the last month or so, and another training group had passed through on that route only a week before with no problem. When the men cleared away enough of the debris and rocks, they also found this."

Collins opened the drawer once more, and pulled out an ordinary can at first glance. He slid the 'can' over, and I was able to examine it closer. Charred wires emerged from both ends like angry snakes, and the entire contraption was hollowed out, with the metal edges jutting out. With a sinking feeling, I realized exactly what I was holding, and what it meant. I was holding the remains of a small bomb that had been used to start the landslide, that had nearly killed me.

 **Elizabeth's POV**

Jack didn't need to explain to me what he was holding, because I already knew. I had come across a diagram of it in a book once, and comparing the remnants in his hands to the diagram in my mind, there was no mistaking it. I just couldn't comprehend it, though. Why someone would risk the lives of so many people by bombing the mountain. Why someone was crazed enough to try to harm Jack. I was sure of two things, however. One: that this person was desperate and very, very dangerous. Two: a combination of those two things could be deadly.

 **Jack's POV**

"Why would someone risk so many lives just to get at me? What have I done?"

"It could be someone who thinks that you've wronged them greatly in some way, out to get revenge on you. All I know is that you should tread very carefully. If they would risk the lives of so many men to get at you, they'll do anything to exact their revenge," Collins said quietly.

"Thanks," I said sarcastically. "I wouldn't have ever guessed." Only until after the words slipped out did I realize that they shouldn't have.

"I'm not the one you should be angry at Thornton. I've done you no harm."

"Right. Sorry, wasn't thinking." I sighed out my frustrations. I was angry and it was hard to focus, knowing that someone out there was plotting my death. Maybe even right this instant. I could feel my muscles contract, and my body becoming tense. My hands curled into tight fists, ready to inflict damage on anyone who came too close. This was such a rare feeling, that it felt foreign to mr. I started to stare at a paperweight on Collin's desk in an attempt to distract myself.

Almost immediately sensing my shift in emotions, Elizabeth's hand reached up to cover mine. At first it just rested there a few seconds, but when I forced my hand to open, she clasped her fingers with mine, so we were holding hands. This action managed to break my attention away from the objects on the desk to our conjoined hands. I noticed that Elizabeth's soft, small, hand was such a contrast to my larger, calloused one. Regardless of this difference, it felt right. My thumb found her ring finger and started stroking her wedding ring. Elizabeth did the same thing with mine. Although it wasn't much, this small, silent action spoke volumes to me. It reminded me of the fact that Elizabeth was right here, by my side, and she would be until the very end. I would make sure of it. And if I got injured in any way on this mission, she would help me heal. Just like when I came back from the Northern Territories, and when I was recovering from the injuries sustained in the rockslide.

A thought suddenly occurred to me.

"How many big missions have I done since I've gotten out of the academy?" Collins seemed surprised at my abrupt question, and took a minute to think.

"Uh, a few arrests here and there, but nothing major. Besides, those men are all still in jail. Your biggest assignment was the Northern Territories."

"So, if I had gained an enemy anywhere, it would have been up North," I hedged.

Again, Collins took a moment to answer. "I'm not absolutely sure, but probably, yes."

I stood up, and disconnected my hand from Elizabeth's. Immediately I missed the warmth. She stood up a second later, and then Collins followed.

"Can I have all the files on the cases that I was involved in and the files of all the criminals I personally arrested or my actions led to their arrest? Oh, and all the evidence found at the landslide too."

"Sure, I'll get one of the constables to do it, but it might take a while to find everything. Are you sure you want them all though? It's over a hundred files."

"I'm sure. Get them all together, and have someone find us. We'll be checked in at a hotel somewhere."

"Go stay at the Grand Phoenix on 34th street. It's the nicest, and really only hotel in this place and it's only a 10 minute ride to get there. Say to Ms. Churchill- the lady who owns it, that you're friends of James, and she'll give you a free room."

"The Grand Phoenix?" I asked. Surely there was a story behind the name.

"Let's just say the lady who owns it is interesting, to say the least. I'll also make sure to send a constable to the hotel to stand guard outside your room 24/7."

"But…" I was about to protest when Collins cut me off.

"I'm sure you would do an excellent job of keeping yourself safe under normal circumstances. But this isn't normal. It would be beneficial to you both to have another layer of protection."

I couldn't argue with that logic.

"And of course, I'll be here if you need help or have any further questions."

I reached out to shake his hand, and Elizabeth did the same. "Thank you sir," I added.

"You're welcome. Now get out there and get the bad guy."

Looking at Elizabeth, I responded," We will."

 **Elizabeth's POV**

The ride over to the Grand Phoenix was indeed short, and as we pulled up, I was surprised to see how grand it truly was. I noticed two things right away. That the building was tall- 10 stories that I counted, and that it was made of a beautiful red brick. It even rivalled some of the hotels back in Hamilton.

We quickly checked in, and were able to meet the owner. Frances Churchill was a lovely lady and definitely an interesting character. While Jack loaded the few bags into our bottom floor room, I was able to find out more about Ms. Churchill. After the death of her fifth husband, she was left extremely wealthy. With no close friends or family to share her wealth with, she was able to travel around the world by herself for 10 years. When she came back to Canada, she settled here, in Cape Fullerton. She then opened up the Grand Phoenix, and has been running it very successfully for the last 15 years.

I also found out the story behind the name of the hotel. When she first moved to Cape Fullerton, she bought an old, abandoned warehouse for the hotel. When I asked her why she hadn't bought a pre-existing hotel, she told me that the building had called to her in a way that she couldn't resist. Like a phoenix, the old, 'dead' building, was 'born again,' and flourished into something beautiful and grand. After it's opening, guests only stayed here, so after a while all the other hotels went out of business.

Later, when me and Jack were alone in our room after just having lunch, there was a knock on the door. Jack went to answer, and came back with a huge stack of papers and folders in his arms. I quickly went over to help him. Collins had kept his word and sent over all the files. However it would take us a few hours to look through all of them. We got to work.

Several hours later….

 **Elizabeth's POV**

"Nothing in this one," Jack said as he laid another file in the 'looked through pile.' I was getting tired. The process was long and tedious, and seeing the 'looked through pile' towering over the stack we were looking through was frustrating. We had been working for hours, but hadn't found anything useful. All of the criminals that Jack had put away were either in jail or had been hung.

I picked up the second last file. It was physically identical to all the others, but to me, it felt different. I just ignored the feeling, and opened it, blaming it on fatigue. The first thing I saw was a picture that I know will haunt me for a while. It was a photograph of the body of a dead man with stab wounds covering his body. His lifeless eyes stared up at me, almost pleading with me to help him.

"I'm sorry…" I choked out.

"What's wrong Elizabeth?" Jack asked. I slowly held up the photograph for him to see. My hand trembled.

"Oh no," he breathed out. "You weren't supposed to see that."

"What happened?" I wanted to know. I had to know.

He didn't argue with me. He didn't try to dissuade me and he didn't tell me that I was too fragile to know the truth. I appreciated that.

He sighed, and started. "My job in the Northern Territories wasn't limited to rounding up gangs, and seizing illegal substances. I also helped solve a murder."

It couldn't hide my shock. "Why didn't you ever tell me this?"

"I wanted too, but I didn't want to further worry you. I was home alive, and that was all that mattered. You didn't need to know everything that had happened."

Oh how I wanted to argue with him. Tell him that he was dense in the head if he thought that I couldn't handle it. Tell him that I was his wife, and deserved to know everything, but the need for him to continue with his explanation overrode this desire.

"What happened to this bo- man?" I corrected. Whoever he was deserved some respect at least.

"His name was Richard Thompson. As you can see from the picture, he was stabbed to death. He worked for the railroad, and was advocating for the railway to go through a small logging town instead of going around. Anyways, when his wife went out to town in the morning, she came back a couple hours later and found him."

"How awful," I murmured.

"Yeah, it was. The story doesn't get much better, though."

"It's okay. I still want to know."

He continued. "I was called in to be the lead investigator. The town had no Mountie, and I was the only one experienced enough to take the case. The first thing I did was question the wife. She was sobbing uncontrollably, and I was only able to ask her if she knew if her husband had had any enemies. She told me that he had had only one, a man by the name of Raymond Johnson. He had been dead set against having the railway go through the town, which would cut onto his land. Apparently the two would yell when they passed each other in the streets.

Of course, I went over to Mr. Johnson's house to question him. He wasn't home, but the door was open, so I let myself in to have a look around. At first glance there was nothing unusual, but when I stepped into his bedroom, I noticed that one of the floorboards was out of place. Lifting it up, I found the knife that had been used to kill Richard Thompson."

I couldn't help but ask. "What happened next?"

"At that moment, Johnson came home. I confronted him and asked him if he recognized the knife. He told me that it was one of his hunting knives. I then asked him if he had killed Thompson. He said that he didn't know that Thompson had even died. I don't know what I was doing, but I arrested him for suspicion of murder. I didn't bother to investigate further. I thought that I had the right man, and this was an open and shut case. After all, I had found the murder weapon in his possession, and he refused to give an alibi and tell me where he had been when Thompson had been killed.

During his entire trial though, he claimed to be innocent. I didn't believe him though. I just wanted the entire case to be over. The trial lasted an entire two months, and during this time, Johnson was kept locked up. He still claimed innocence, and told me that someone had framed him. I finally agreed to open up the case again and reinvestigate. It turns out that the murdered man, Thompson, had been having an affair. When his wife found out, she approached him, and he told her that he would divorce her. She couldn't live with this, so she went out, stole one of Johnson's knives, came back and stabbed her husband in a blind rage. Realizing what she had done, she went back to Johnson's house, and planted the knife, so he would take the fall."

"How tragic," I commented. During this time, I had flipped the picture in the file to reveal another picture. Raymond Johnson's mug shot. The only emotion I could read on his face was that of pain. He seemed to be begging anyone to listen to his pleas.

"It gets worse, yet," Jack said, and continued.

"The wife was immediately arrested and confessed to the entire thing. When I went back to Johnson and asked him why he never gave me an alibi, he revealed that his wife was being treated in another hospital for consumption. He was gambling to pay off her bill. He was released, but soon got a telegram from the hospital telling him his wife had died in the night. Apparently, without him paying for her medicine, they couldn't continue treating her. He broke down sobbing, right in front of me. After he stood up, he told me that he would find me and would make sure that I would feel his pain. I was scared for a while, but when months passed and I came home, I figured that his threats were empty. Apparently not."

At this point, Jack was nearly sobbing, himself. I couldn't imagine the guilt he must be feeling. That because of him, one man's life was changed forever.

I didn't know what to say, what to do to give him any comfort. Instead, I just held out my arms so I could hug him. His breathing was rapid, and as I held him, I could feel him start to calm down.

"So what do we do now?" I asked after a while.

"I've got to find Johnson before he finds us. I know that it's him behind all this," Jack said, as he slowly got up, and held out a hand to help me up as well. I took it gratefully, and rose, my joints tired after sitting on the floor for several hours.

I glanced out the window. Night had fallen, and the moon was out. I was just about to move and shut the curtain, when there was a deafening crash. The next thing I knew, I could feel Jack's weight on me, protecting me - he must have tackled me to the ground. Regardless of this, I could feel shards of glass rain down on my arms. A few stuck, and tiny dots of blood appeared. During this, I could hear the door slam open, and the constable burst in. I think his name was Michaels. Jack yelled, "Rock through the window. Find him!" The constable hesitated a second before running off.

Once I was sure the danger had passed, Jack rolled off, and helped me get to my feet. The large window that had just been here seconds before, was nearly gone, with only the jagged corners left. Cool air immediately started wafting into the room. Jack held me back with one arm, and stepped forward to pick up the large rock now standing in the middle of the room. A note was attached to the top. Being careful not to cut his hand, he picked up the rock and snapped the elastic that had been holding the note to the rock. Unfolding the small piece of paper, he read the note, and his face whitened.

"What does it say?" I asked, almost not wanting to know. Wordlessly, he passed it over.

'I've found you, and I'm coming for both of you.

-RJ

 **Sorry for the wait! I hope it's worth it though! Again, please review and tell me what you think! I appreciate it!**


	14. Chapter 14

Hi everyone, it's me. I'm afraid this won't be a long overdue update, but an apology. I'm not going to finish this story.

Here's why: Back in April after that episode I still can't bear to watch again, I was pretty upset. I think a lot of fans were. That's why I turned to fanfiction. Writing seemed to me the perfect way to heal from the whole ordeal, and that's what I did. I wrote. And wrote, and wrote and wrote, sometimes staying up late into the light to churn our chapter after chapter. After awhile, the hurt that I felt diminished, and along with that, the urge to write. I think that's partly why I began to have such big gaps in between chapters. Anyways, I want to say that I loved writing, and never regretted a second of it. I loved the positive feedback that I received from so many of you. It kept me going.

Currently, I still watch the show once in a while. I watched the Christmas movie, and I think I'll watch the new season if I have time. I also have new favorite tv shows that I'm watching. 

If any of you are interested, this was how I was planning the rest of the story:

• The two stay in the hotel overnight, shaken up but resilient to find the truth. They have a heartfelt conversation about how they'll find the person responsible. Jack makes a promise that if it gets too dangerous, he'll drop the case immediately regardless of what his superiors say.

• The next day, Elizabeth wakes up to an empty bed. Jack has left a note saying that he's making a telegram to Bill if he's heard anything suspicious.

• He gets back and they review the files again, waiting for feedback. Bill has nothing, but he gives them a warning to tread lightly.

• Elizabeth doesn't feel very good, so Jack goes down to grab some food, confident that there's protection just outside.

• There's a knock on the door. As soon as she opens it, a cloth is pressed to her face and Elizabeth blacks out. The last thing she sees is a red uniform.

• Jack gets back, and Elizabeth and the protection duty are gone. Jack races to go find them

• Elizabeth wakes up tied up in an abandoned warehouse. The 'constable' emerges from the shadows and starts taking off the wig and fake mustache. It's Raymond Johnson.

• Jack and the constables find one of Elizabeth's hair pins in the alley behind the hotel. It looks like she was carried away in a coach. They can only track it a short distance before the tracks wear away. They start looking for clues and asking witnesses.

• Elizabeth asks Raymond why he's doing all this. He reveals that he's wanted revenge on Jack Thornton and the Mounties for months. He didn't get justice, so nobody should. He reveals that he'll kill both of them as soon as Jack arrives.

• Jack looks into the Raymond Johnson's financial records. He finds out that he took out a large sum of money to buy an old cannnery just outside the city limits. He realizes that this must be where Elizabeth is being held.

• Elizabeth tries to talk down Raymond. She tries to bargain with him and make him see some sort of logic. She realizes that he's too far gone to be helped.

• Jack pulls up to the door, and peeks in. From this angle, he can see the events that are playing out. He realizes that he's too far away to tackle Raymond to the ground, and can't get a clean shot out without endangering Elizabeth's life. Back pressed against the wall, he slowly moves to catch Elizabeth's eye.

• Elizabeth notices movement against the far wall, and realizes that Jack has come to her rescue. A plan starts to form in her head.

• Raymond has come to an end. He can't wait for Jack anymore. He figures he can exact his revenge by killing Elizabeth, and then fleeing the city to start over again. He takes a pistol out of his back pocket and cocks the gun.

• Elizabeth motions to a basket hanging from the ceiling just up and to the left of Jack. In one smooth motion, Jack shoots up at the target, as Raymond whirls around. Elizabeth kicks out at the back of his knees, and Raymond falls forward, gun slipping out of his hand. Jack rushes forward, scooping up the gun and placing his handcuffs around Johnson. He releases Elizabeth, and they embrace, happy that it's all over.

• Now that they've wrapped up the case, Jack and Elizabeth return home, and settle back into their every day lives. Jack turns in his resignation to the Mounties, and instead starts up a private detective practice with Bill so he can choose the cases he takes.

• Elizabeth resumes her role as schoolteacher, carrying out her dream. She looks back at her life, and realizes she wouldn't change a thing.

• Epilogue: months later, the two welcome baby Ally Hope Thornton into the world. As she begins to fall asleep with baby Ally on her chest, Elizabeth requests Jack to recite their passage and he does… 'Love is patient, love is kind…'

Thanks again for being such amazing readers! It was a lot of fun writing this story, and I hope this gives a bit of closure to some of you.

-writinglover23 (V)


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